You Can't Take The Sky From Me
by Persephonee
Summary: They got back just after nightfall, reporting that there were no other survivors—Inara was the only one. Book was surprised when he saw Mal look up briefly from Inara's form and whisper "Sheh Sheh" To the heavens.
1. I

**Author's Note:**** This is the first of many chapters. Rated for graphic imagery and a touch of gore. I try not to get too gross, but when writing Reavers, it's inevitable.**

**I own nothing of this 'verse! But I will accept any and all donations to purchase it and put it back on the air.**

Mal felt the tension curling up the back of his neck the moment they approached Madrassa. It had been three days since they dropped Inara off to meet with the Guild. She was going to tender her resignation with the Training House, and officially retire from being a Companion.

They were about six hours away from the nightmare on Mr. Universe's planet when the two of them admitted their feelings for each other. They decided to wait a couple of days to drop her off on the planet she had left only a couple of days ago, because they wanted—needed—some time together before she went through the grueling ordeal of resigning.

But Mal was ecstatic. He would finally have her to himself.

"_I never liked the idea of you with those…men…" Mal had all but spat as they swung back-and-forth gently in the Engine Room's hammock. "I know it's a respected career! I get that! But I don't like the idea of YOU doing it."_

_Inara smiled and turned her face upwards so she could look him in the eyes. "Mal, I love you. I meant what I said…and did…last night. You're it for me." She kissed his chin softly. "Besides, even if that weren't the case, do you really think I'd be dumb enough to bring a client on board my shuttle after this?"_

_Mal laughed and pulled her tighter to his chest. "I'd kick the Feh Feh Pi Goh from one end of the ship to the other before stripping him naked and tying him to the roof."_

"_You're so charming." Inara giggled letting her head rest in the crook of his neck before beginning to drift off._

"Captain!" Wash's voice startled him out of his reverie. "I think something happened here." The tremor in the man's voice had Mal walking towards the front of the cockpit to the large windows looking down upon the city.

But it wasn't a city that he saw—it was a wasteland.

The remnants of what were obviously once very large fires flickered around the ash and rubble that had once been homes and trees. There were small figures—bodies—scattered in the streets. And there was blood.

Even hundreds of feet up in the air they could see red in the rivers and in the dirt. As they slowly made their descent, they could see that most of the bodies were skinned and left with their entrails hanging out.

"Reavers." Zoe muttered from behind him.

"There's no sign of another ship within two thousand miles." Wash reported. "They must be long gone by now."

Mal swallowed and nodded. "Land where you see fit." He choked. "I'm taking the shuttle to the training house. Don't leave until Inara and I get here. Dohn-Luh-Mah?" The couple nodded as he swiftly exited the cockpit.

His stomach continued to twist as he made his way to the cargo hold. "Jayne!" He shouted at the large man bench-pressing below him. "Be on alert! Reavers have been here!"

"Reavers?" Kaylee's frightened voice came from behind him. "Wh…'Nara?" Her large eyes blinked at him, asking him what he was too afraid to ask himself.

"I'm going to get her now." He told her confidently. "Doc, come along! Might need ya!" He pointed at Simon who had come into the hold behind Kaylee.

The younger man swallowed and nodded as he followed Mal into the shuttle.

/

"Wou Duh Tian Ah." Mal whispered as they approached the training house. The once stunning building was in ruins. Fires burned along the cliffs that supported the remaining walls and pillars, and blood was smeared across the white bricks.

Simon tried to hide the terror he knew was building up his eyes as they landed, and tried to keep the doubt out of his voice when he asked, "Where's Inara's room?"

"Follow me." Mal darted out of the shuttle and up the steep incline towards the entrance he had used when he rescued Inara less than a year earlier.

The stench of blood and burnt flesh hung in the air as they walked down the marble hallway. The floors were littered with partially devoured corpses and innards. Above them, various limbs hung from the once so extravagant chandeliers.

Simon didn't like where this was going. He didn't want to be the one who was with Malcolm Reynolds when he found the body of the woman who had become so dear to all of them.

Mal stopped dead in his tracks when they got to her room. Her door had been knocked off of its hinges and was hanging crooked across the frame. Inside, they could see all of her belongings had been strewn across the floor. Mal kicked the door out of the way and entered the room, trying to brace himself for what he might find.

Blood was smeared across her walls. Blood soaked the sequined and brightly colored garments on the floor. Blood stained her beautiful bed. Bile rose up in his throat.

"I—Inara?" He choked looking around frantically. "INARA!" It came out as a shout the second time. Simon jumped as the captain kicked an overturned bookshelf out of the way.

"Inara! Inara!" Mal continued to shout as he looked around and behind every piece of furniture in the room. "INARA!"

This went on for nearly five minutes before Simon thought it necessary to intervene. "Captain!" He called, grabbing Mal's arm. "Please, you'll only make it worse on yourself." He tried to be gentle, but even he didn't like his word choice.

"Worse? How can it be worse?" Mal snapped, holding up one of Inara's beautiful—now blood stained—gowns. "How could this possibly be any worse Dr. Tam?"

Simon sighed and shook his head in defeat. "I-I'm so sorry." He whispered, touching the man's arm.

Mal closed his eyes and hung his head. "She can't be gone." He choked looking up, his eyes were indescribably miserable. He held the orange fabric of the gown to his lips and kissed it gently before letting it fall to the ground.

Simon decided it was best to remain silent as the man mourned amongst the wreckage. A wise decision—because if he had made the choice to speak or comfort his captain in any way, they may not have heard it.

It was a tiny noise at first. It could have easily been mistaken for the squeak of a mouse or chirp of a cricket. But because the two men were keen observers, they picked up on it right away.

Mal lifted his head and looked in the direction where the noise had come—the bed. He slowly made his way towards the large canopy monstrosity covered in fluffy blankets and shiny pillows. As he got closer he heard another noise, this time it was louder.

It was a whimper.

Without a second thought, the captain dropped to his knees beside the bed and looked underneath it. A pair of wide terrified eyes was the first things he saw.

"Inara?" He whispered.

The dark haired woman looked beyond him at the room and began to tremble harder than she already was. "Inara, Bao Bei." Mal reached out to touch her cheek but she jerked back.

"Re-Re…" She stammered. "N-n-n-" She couldn't get a coherent sentence out, but Mal didn't care. He just wanted to get her out of there.

"Inara, you're safe. It's me, Mal." He crawled closer to her holding out his hand again. She stared at him, but she didn't move away much to his relief. "Please, come with me. I need to take you to the ship."

The shaking woman let him take her arm gently and slide her towards him. "M-M-Ma…" She choked, coughing as she tried to speak more.

Simon immediately came forward, bag in hand. "Wo De Tian A, she's covered in blood." He stated the obvious as he went to take her pulse. Inara screamed and jerked away from him. "Whoa! Easy Inara! Relax!"

She didn't listen as she tried to sit up and grab onto Mal, who was more than willing to take her into his arms. "We'll examine her on the ship. Let's go, now!" He ordered, picking his girl up and rushing out of the room, with Simon on his trail.

/

"Jayne! Zoe! Get back out there and look for any other survivors!" Mal shouted as he entered the hold with Inara still in his arms. She looked around frantically as she was carried quickly through the ship. "Kaylee! Come with us!" He gestured to the worried mechanic with a nod of his head.

"We'll probably need to dope her if you expect me to fully examine her." Simon warned as they entered the infirmary.

Mal nodded, resting his head on top of Inara's. "Do it quickly." He sighed, setting her on the table and taking her face in his hands as the doctor approached with the Hypo-gun in his hands. "I love you." He whispered right before she was knocked out.

/

Jayne and Zoe got back just after nightfall, reporting that there were no other survivors—Inara was the only one. Book was surprised when he saw Mal look up briefly from Inara's form and whisper _"Sheh Sheh"_ To the heavens.

/

**Author's Note:**

**Well, there's the first chapter! I've already finished about three and a half chapters for this piece and I'm planning on finishing it by the end of next week. I'll post the rest if it seems to be well received. This is my first story in this 'verse and I'd like to do well by it!**

**Mal might seem a bit OOC, but I like writing him as a softy. **

**Translations:**

**Feh Feh Pi Goh—Baboon's ass crack**

**Dohn-Luh-Mah—Are we clear?**

**Wou Duh Tian Ah—Oh My God**

**Bao Bei—Sweetheart, Precious, Treasure**

**Wo De Tian A—Dear God in Heaven**

**Sheh Sheh—Thank you**


	2. II

**Author's note: So this was originally going to be broken up into a couple of chapters, but it was very hard to find the proper stopping point. So I hope you like!**

**I'm SO sorry I didn't have a proper disclaimer in my last chapter! I just completely forgot!**

**Thank you **** for your questions which helped me realize that!**

**YES, Wash and Shepherd lived. I love them too much not to write them! Other than that, not much has changed post-BDM. River might be a bit more lucid in this story, just for the sake of keeping the story line where I'd like it to be. **

**As for your other questions, I'll try to cover those as the story wears on! Thanks for your reviews!**

**/**

She was covered in cuts and bruises. Some of the lacerations on her arms, legs, and abdomen were so deep that her muscle tissue was exposed. Nearly all of her ribs had been broken, as well as her left wrist. Otherwise, she was fine—physically at least.

Kaylee sat across from him, looking down at the sleeping woman. He wanted her there as well when she came to. He didn't know how Inara would react or what she would do, and he wanted someone—besides himself—there whom Inara cared deeply for.

"She's still mighty pretty." Kaylee observed as she brushed her best friends dark curls out.

Mal nodded with a sad smile. There was a large gash from Inara's hair line all the way down the side of her left cheek to her chin. It was the worse of the many cuts on her face and it was most likely to leave a scar. He didn't care—she would still be perfect to him.

"Do…do you think it'll mess up her mental state?" Kaylee asked hesitantly after a long silence. "Like the fella we found on that derelict?"

Mal sighed and shook his head. "I pray not little Kaylee…I pray not."

/

"_Girls! Run! Get into the dining hall and lock the door behind you!" She shouted running through the hallway, and guiding her students into the large windowless room._

"_What about you?" Gilda, a fellow instructor called out after her._

"_I'll be fine! Stay there!" Inara assured her, before turning back towards the main hallway. She stopped running when she heard a large crash from the room she had just closed the forty or so students in, followed by terrified screams. "No…no please…" She went to open the door, but thought better of it. There were still girls in the dorm rooms. She had to protect them too. Her heart broke as she fled from the dining hall._

/

"Inara…C'mon my Bao Bei…Open those eyes for me." Mal whispered as she twitched on the bed. "Inara?"

"G-Gi…Re…" She choked, her closed eyes scrunching up in pain. She began to thrash violently as memories exploded in her mind.

"Whoa! Hold her tight!" Simon yelled over the woman's terrified shrieks. "Inara! Relax!"

"Re…Re…" She opened her eyes but she still didn't focus as she fought against Mal's and the doctor's hands.

"I know wo de tianshi." Mal called to her as he took her hands. "They're gone now! You're safe!"

"Inara!" Kaylee cried out as her friend began to fight harder. "Jieh-Jieh! It's alright!" She looked to Simon who was trying to focus on the heart monitors, as well as the woman convulsing on the table.

"Mal! Hold her head still!" The doctor ordered, taking hold of Inara's knees and pinning them to the table. "Kaylee, hold her shoulders down."

Together the three were able to keep her mostly still until her panic attack came to an end. Then there was silence—the only sound was their heavy breathing and Inara's whimpers.

"In-Inara," Mal pushed her hair away from her sweaty forehead. "Do you know who we are?" She looked at him then at Kaylee and Simon who moved to stand on the opposite side of the captain. She hesitated a moment before nodding.

"Do you know where we are?" The doctor asked, checking her arms carefully, making sure she hadn't pulled any stitches. Inara nodded again.

"Se-ser…" She tried to speak only to end up coughing again. Mal helped her sit up, mindful of her bandaged torso.

"Relax Bao Bei." He whispered kissing the side of her head. "Why ain't she able to talk?" He demanded looking at Simon. The younger man shook his head wordlessly.

"Probably shock." He replied. "You have to remember, she survived something no one else has."

"Other people have survived this before." Kaylee argued not taking her eyes off of her best friend, who was clinging to Mal's arm and staring off into the middle distance.

"No…this is different." Mal whispered. "The others were allowed to live, with very little injury. They got to Inara…they got their hands on her…but something made them stop." He looked down at his girl, once again thanking whatever power in the 'verse saved her.

/

"_Madame! Madame! Where are they? Are they inside?" Esme, one of the older students cried, running up to her in the hall._

"_Yes, they're everywhere! Stay with me!" She grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her along with her towards the dorms. "Where are your roommates?" _

"_Kyra was taken by those…things…and Ellie just ran off. I think she was going towards the dining hall. There are no windows there! Maybe it's safe!"_

"_No, it's not." Inara muttered pulling on a door to a supply closet only to find it locked. "We need weapons."_

"_The supply shed outside has bows and arrows." Esme reminded her._

"_We're not going outside!" Inara shook her head. _

"_But we can't stay trapped! We're like fish in a barrel…they'll get us eventually." The student pleaded with her. "Please! It smells like blood in here, we have to get out!" Inara weighed her options before relenting._

"_Fine, but just to get the bows." She sighed following the girl to the closest door that would take them outside._

_But as soon as Esme stepped out onto the back porch, a Reaver jumped down from the roof and grabbed her. Inara tried to pull the girl back in, but the beast stopped her by impaling a knife through her hand. Inara screamed and brought her arm back with the blade still stuck through her palm. She cried as she pushed the door shut—unable to watch, the now unconscious, Esme be devoured._

_Stumbling down the hall, Inara found the closest unlocked classroom and ducked inside. Somehow she was able to push the large oak instructor's desk in front of the door, before curling up in the opposite corner of the room. Looking down at her hand, she whimpered when she saw the knife had gone clear through—the point of the blade stuck out of the top, covered in what she'd hope was only her blood. _

_She bit her lip against the pain as she pulled the weapon out as quickly as possible. "Rung Tse Fwo Tzoo Bao Yo Wuo Muhn." She whispered clutching her now bleeding hand to her chest. "Rung Tse Fwo Tzoo Bao Yo Wuo Muhn…"_

/

"How's she doing?" Zoe's voice startled him from his focus on the rice he had boiling on the stove. He turned to smile wryly at his co-captain.

"Oh she's…not tryin' to kill anyone and she hasn't mutilated her own face." He replied with a shrug. "At least she…she's got that goin' for her." He sighed stirring the rice a bit more before covering it.

"How are you doing?" The woman addressed him carefully. "I know this can't be easy for you."

"What? Having the woman I love savaged and left to die by a bunch of cannibalistic monsters? No! It's fine! Piece of cake!" Mal snapped tossing the wooden spoon into the sink. "I made her resign Zoe. I made her go there!"

"It was the only way she could do it though, you know that."

"We could have waited," Mal shook his head. "We could have just gone next month, after our delivery in Persephone."

"You didn't know this would happen."

"Yeah, but it did." He muttered as he got two bowls down from the cabinet. "And now 'Nara has to pay for my hastiness."

"I doubt she'll see it that way Captain." Zoe comforted him with a pat on the arm before walking heading over to the couches to sit with Wash.

/

"I hope you still like my 'verse famous white rice with pepper!" Mal said cheerily as he walked into the infirmary with their dinner. His smile dropped when he saw Simon staring at Inara's back gravely. "What is it doc?"

"You might not want to see this Capt'n." Kaylee warned holding up her hands. She had tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mal looked to Inara who clutched a sheet to her bare chest and stared up at him in terror. He tried to give her a reassuring smile as he set the bowls down on a tray next to the bed. "I think it's unavoidable, so may as well let me see now." He tried to keep the edge out of his voice, not wanting to frighten her any more than she already was.

He braced himself as he walked to the head of the bed to stand next to Simon. When he saw it, his stomach bottomed out. It took everything he had, not to throw up right there.

On Inara's beautiful caramel colored back were multiple wounds. But they weren't just any wounds, they were bite marks—big, ugly, red bite marks surrounded by bruises. They looked to be deep enough for stitches in some areas, and very faint in others. One—on her right hip—seemed to be the worse. It looked as though if they had bitten her any harder, they would have taken a whole piece of her hip off.

"Wong Ba Duhn!" Mal gasped running his fingers over the marks. "They tried to eat her alive…" He choked on the words.

"I have to get her some serious vaccines." Simon told him quietly. "Some of which we don't even have."

Mal nodded thoughtfully. "We can make it to Persephone in less than a day if Wash goes full burn." He said, giving Kaylee a pointed look. The mechanic needed no further instruction as she rushed out of the room to report their plan to the pilot.

"I'm going to clean these," Simon informed him pulling a bottle of iodine and sterile water from the cabinets.

Knowing that things were about to get even more uncomfortable for her, Mal sat facing Inara on the bed and began to stroke her hair. "How ya doin' Bao Bei?" He asked softly.

"N-no…" Inara whimpered as Simon began to dab at her back with the dark amber liquid. "N-n…Rea…Reav…" She grabbed Mal's arms and braced herself against the pain.

"Shh...It's all over baby." He promised her with a kiss to the forehead. Inara shook her head and closed her eyes tight as the doctor swept over the deepest bite.

/

_She waited for nearly an hour. Screams rang throughout the marble halls of the once poetic school. She could hear the voices of her colleagues and her student—all so different in age, and yet, all of their pleading sounded the same._

_Finally, silence was the only noise on the other side of the door. She didn't hear growls, grunts, screams or cries. Just…the quiet. It was as though the monsters snatched all of the birds out of the sky so she couldn't even hear their song. She composed herself and stood up. Looking out the window, she saw the ruins of the city at the foothills of the mountain. _

"_Wo De Tian A." She whispered backing away, and turning towards the door. She pushed the desk out of the way and opened the door a crack to peer out. Nothing but rubble, blood, and bodies. _

"_Please…Please be gone." She prayed as she stepped into the hallway and began to tread lightly towards her room. She stifled a scream when she saw the body of a young girl—no older than thirteen—slumped against the wall with all of her insides in her lap. She covered her nose when the smell of blood became too putrid to ignore._

_She was almost to her room. _

_All that she needed to do was send a wave to Mal, and get him to get there as soon as he could. He needed to know she was alive and not to panic._

_But just as she approached her door, something jumped on her from behind._

_It was a Reaver—a small one, but still a Reaver. She screamed as the beast sunk its teeth into her shoulder blade. _

_Grabbing a large piece of marble that had crumbled from the roof, Inara smashed the creature over the head with it. But it wasn't fazed. "Get off of me!" She willed the beast to learn her language and retreat. But it was useless—she was pinned. Before she knew it two more Reavers came out of nowhere and began to slash at her with their long sharp nails and jagged knives. _

_One stepped on her wrist with all of its weight until the bone snapped. She could feel them licking and chewing on her. She felt them touching her and grabbing her._

_Soon, she stopped screaming and begging for her life. She just whispered, "Rung Tse Song Di Ching Dai Wuo Tzo." Over and over again._

/

**Wo De Tianshi—My Angel (rough translation)**

**Jieh-Jieh—Big Sister**

**Bao Bei—Baby, Precious, Treasure**

**Rung Tse Fwo Tzoo Bao Yo Wuo Muhn—Merciful Buddha Protect Us**

**Wong Ba Duhn—Son of a bitch**

**Wo De Tian A—Dear God in Heaven**

**Rung Tse Song Di Ching Dai Wuo Tzo—Merciful God, please take me away**


	3. III

**Thank you for your reviews! **

**Enjoy!**

**/**

They had moved her into her shuttle for the night. She needed a comfortable bed to sleep in, not some metal infirmary bed with scratchy sheets. Mal didn't have any objections—if he was going to stay up all night watching her, he preferred doing so nestled in a cache of silk pillows.

After some experimenting, they finally concluded that she was most comfortable sleeping on her right side—with her back to him. They hadn't bothered dressing her, _"We need to let her wounds get some air." _Simon had said as he put yet another application of ointment on her back.

A tiny whimper from beside him snapped him out of the sleep he had nearly fallen into. Immediately, he was on his knees staring down at her. "'Nara?" He called touching her shoulder gently.

"N-nuh!" She grunted as she tried to twist away from him. Mal snatched his hand back quickly.

"Inara! What is it?" He pleaded trying to wake her up with just his words. But she continued to make her guttural noises with her eyes squeezed shut. "Wake up Bao Bei!"

Deciding that risking physical contact again was his only option, Mal grabbed her arms and rolled her over so she could see him when she woke up. In the process of doing this though, she rolled onto her wounded back. The jolt of pain had her eyes snapping open so fast, he nearly jumped backwards.

"Ow." Was all Inara whimpered, before reaching up to him. Taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor, Mal hesitantly pulled her into a hug.

"You with me now darlin'?" He murmured, kissing the side of her head. He smiled when he felt her nod quickly. She was at least understanding him more clearly now. "Are you hurtin' badly?" She answered him with another nod.

Mal sighed and kept one hand on the back of her head to keep it resting on his shoulder, and used the other to get the pills Simon had left for her on the nightstand. "I'm gunna put this on your tongue, jus' let it dissolve." He ordered as he took a large pink pill from the bottle and helped her sit back long enough to put it in her mouth, before pulling her back towards him immediately.

He was scared to let her go, even for a minute. It was as though releasing his hold on her would leave her vulnerable to everything in the 'verse. His fingers softly caressed her lower back—where the less extreme bites and scratches were. "That pill will make you might drowsy." He informed her as she began to relax in his arms even more. He chuckled when he felt her head slowly bob up and down in the attempt of nodding again. "Gunna lie ya down now 'kay?"

She let out a small "Hmph" In reply as he gently eased her down onto the pillows. She was asleep less than a minute later.

/

It had been twenty-four hours since they'd rescued Inara from Madrassa, and her condition hadn't changed much. Kaylee stared at her best friend through the infirmary window as Simon administered the vaccines he had just acquired from the hospital on Persephone. The once strong and elegant woman was turned into this terrified, feeble _girl_ in less than a day.

"Hey little Kaylee, how's it shakin'?" Jayne's gruff voice startled her as he appeared from the cargo area. He stopped his trek to the kitchen when he saw what the young mechanic was looking at. "Ah…uh…how's uh…how's 'Nara doin'?" He asked, trying not to sound worried.

"She ain't Inara." Kaylee sighed. "I mean, she is, but she ain't. She's…she's a whole other person!"

"Well if I had some of them Gorram Reavers gnawin' on me, I can't say I'd be in the best mental state." The mercenary muttered. "They scarred her up somethin' fierce didn't they?" He winced as he watched Simon apply ointment to the large gash on Inara's face.

"Her scarrin' is the least of her concerns." Kaylee sighed and shook her head sadly. "She didn't deserve this."

/

"River, don't wander too far!" Zoe called after the girl as she traipsed away from them, yet again.

Needing a break from flying, Mal announced that they would remain planetside for a couple of days. This not only allowed him to have more time to devote to Inara's recovery, but it also gave the crew some well-deserved R&R.

Since Miranda, the core planets weren't quite the threat they use to be. Of course, they still smuggled and did everything they use to, but the Alliance didn't seem to be encroaching on them every chance they got. They even stopped putting out Wanted posts for the Tams. It made crime a lot easier on Serenity.

"Could we get sugar? And flour? And chocolate?" River asked looking around the shelves at all of the food.

"We can get protein, and protein, and chocolate flavored protein." Wash replied picking up a large brick of their ship's most popular food item and tossing it in their basket.

"We need to find some egg soup for Inara." Shepherd reminded them, scanning all of the labels. "She couldn't even keep down the rice Mal made for her this morning."

"Well there could be many reasons for that." Zoe muttered eliciting a chuckle from Book.

"Hey lookit this!" Jayne hollered from the other end of the store. They all looked over to see the large man holding up a piece of pink sequined fabric.

"That's very pretty Jayne, were you planning on wearing it to your next society tea?" Wash teased as they headed towards him.

Jayne sneered, "Ha-Ha! I was thinkin' that 'Nara might like it." He kicked the dirt a little as he examined the material in his hands. "It's all soft-like and purdy." Zoe smiled and took the cloth from him.

"You're right Jayne, she would love it." She said comfortingly as she put the garment in the basket.

/

Mal sighed as he watched Simon help Inara down from the table. "I don't think she should be doing that on her own!" He cringed as the woman slid to the floor.

"Relax Mal." Simon gave him a perturbed smile as he took Inara's hands in his. "Slow steps Inara, good job." He praised helping the frail woman walk slowly across the room.

"Okay…Okay that's enough!" Mal charged forward to stop them. "She doesn't need to be up too much!" He picked Inara up and set her on the bed, much to her annoyance.

"When did you become such a muquin muji?" Simon asked check the sutures on Inara's legs to make sure they hadn't pulled during her brief exercise. "Inara, I'm gunna take a look at your back okay?"

He made sure the woman nodded her approval before going around the table and lifting her shirt—well, Mal's shirt, all of her clothes were too uncomfortable for her healing body. There was a great deal of swelling on her back, but otherwise, Simon was relieved to see there were no signs of infection.

"How bad is the pain?" Simon asked before quickly adding, "On a scale of one to ten?" Inara held up six fingers.

"Don't be a hero 'Nara." Mal warned with a light-hearted scowl. She sighed and put up two more digits.

"Okay, we'll get you something a little stronger for the pain." Simon said, drawing up a light yellow liquid in a syringe. Mal cringed as the doctor inserted the large needle into Inara's median cubital vein.

"Lunch!" Kaylee's cheerful voice rang as she entered the infirmary, tray in hand. Inara's face lit up at the sight of her friend. "Shepherd made you some soup, and Zoe made tea."

The mechanic set the tray on the table next to the bed so Mal could pick up the bowl and help her to eat. She was able to feed herself, but given that her one good wrist was attached to the hand with a knife wound, she had a bit of trouble holding the spoon steady. That morning, she got rice all over her front as she tried to eat some of Mal's rice.

Inara giggled as the captain tucked a napkin into the front of her (his) shirt, before he lifted a spoonful of the yellow soup to her lips. She gave him a small glare before blowing on the hot liquid to cool it off. Mal followed her lead and blew on it as well until she deemed it safe enough to consume.

While he continued to feed her and Kaylee talked quietly to Simon in the corner, Jayne entered the room with a sloppily wrapped brown package in his hands. "Hey, uh, 'Nara…" He greeted awkwardly. "I…um…I got you somethin'. It ain't much…but ya know…ya might enjoy it." Inara smiled, unsure of how to take such a gesture from the normally gruff and overbearing mercenary.

She unwrapped the gift carefully and her smile turned genuine when she saw the pink shawl inside. She looked up and held out her hand. After getting a nod of approval from his captain, Jayne took Inara's dainty hand in his own.

"Th-tha…" She stuttered as clear as she could. Not wanting her to strain herself to much, Jayne nodded quickly.

"Don't mention it! It jus' seemed like it might look real purdy with all of your other whor…fancy clothes." He flinched when he saw Mal's eyes flare up at his slip. "Gotta go…check on…the uh…yeah bye!" He quickly darted out of the room.

Oblivious to Jayne's words, Inara admired her gift happily and held it to show Mal who couldn't help but smile at her genuine joy. He wanted to throttle Cobb sometimes, but the fact that he put that sparkle back in his girl's eyes—even for a moment—made him okay in his book.

/

**Bao Bei—Baby, Sweetheart, Treasure**

**Gorram—[god] damned **

**Muquin Muji—mother hen**

**A/N: I know there wasn't quite so much in this chapter. It was mostly me wanting to have a bit more character development with the rest of the crew. Again, I must stress, I am going to have to go a little OOC with some of the characters. Forgive me. I'll try not to get too bad about it! **

**The next chapter will be up soon!**

**REVIEW!**


	4. IV

**Author's Note:**

**First of all, thank you so much for your kind reviews! I don't want you all to worry. I will not leave any loose threads. Everything will be explained in due time. But of course, if you do have a concern or question, let me know and I will see that I get to answering it if it wasn't already in my plan.**

**Bytemite:**** After reading your comment on chapter 2, I looked up what you had said about Minear, and I was saddened all over again at the loss of this show! I won't go in that direction with this story, but I might have to write one like it soon! I can't believe I haven't seen it done yet!**

**Ms. Chips:**** I will definitely be addressing all of the concerns you mentioned in your last comment. I was somewhat leading up to it, hoping to get past her mental trauma (or at least most of it) first. But thank you, it's good to know that I'm headed in the right direction!**

**TheAmazingDave:**** Haha, I know it's hard to look past the resurrection of characters sometimes, but I'm glad you're willing to stick with me! **

**ENJOY!**

**/**

_She didn't know why they were taking so long. How long did it actually take to eat a human being? It felt like she had been lying there, with three Reavers gnawing on her, for hours. Was her skin really so tough? One was sitting on her, its knees digging into her back. She could feel her ribs cracking, one by one, as it bore down on her. _

_Eventually, the part she feared the most happened—one began to yank at her skirt. "No…Please no…" She whimpered as it began to touch her. She wished she could just command her brain to shut down, to die. _

_Suddenly, a bell rang outside. The Church Bell perhaps? _

_The three creatures stopped what they were doing to look towards the window at the end of the hall. When she felt the weight leave her back, Inara cautiously looked behind herself. The Reavers were all starting to stand up, curious by the melody playing outside._

_Not wasting any time, Inara scrambled to her hands and knees and began to crawl the last few feet to her room. Right before she touched the handle, the bell stopped and the beasts realized their prey was fleeing. Swinging the door open, she rushed into the room and slammed it shut right as a Reaver stuck its arm through. She put all of her weight—which wasn't much—against the large oak door, snapping the monster's bones. Of course it paid no heed to the pain._

_She could feel them all pushing from the other side as she looked around frantically for something she could use. Just then, she remembered her décor choice for right above her doorway. Looking up, she smiled when she saw the large Talwar Sword she had hung up the day she moved into the training house. In one swift movement, she reached up, pulled the weapon down, and sliced the Reaver's arm clean off. _

_After that, she was able to slam the door shut and lean against it. She cringed at the limb lying next to her on the floor and pushed it away. She was amazed that she had the adrenaline to amputate the arm in her weakened state._

_She stayed there for nearly an hour, with the creatures bellowing from the other side. She didn't know, or care, where the larger Reavers were. These three may have been small, but their determination was huge. She could feel herself wanting to pass out from the pain shooting through her entire body, but she pushed through it. "Just a little longer…please Mal…Gan Kwai…"_

_Suddenly the door lurched forward and she let out a terrified scream._

/

"Mal! Mal!" Her voice echoed through the halls of Serenity. Mal sat straight up from his spot in Inara's bed and looked around frantically. She wasn't beside him. She wasn't in the room.

"Inara!" He yelled standing up and darting out of the room. "Inara!" He suddenly began to feel like he had nearly a week before, when they entered her ransacked room at the training house.

"Mal, what's going on?" Zoe demanded as her and Wash came out of the bridge, meeting him in the hall.

"Inara…she's—" His explanation was cut off by more screams.

"Mal! Please! Help me! Mal!" Inara's muffled voice rang out.

"She's talkin'!" Wash observed as the three of them sprinted towards the kitchen, hoping that that was where the screams were coming from.

"Inara! Answer me!" Mal shouted when they entered the main room.

Kaylee and Simon, who were also awakened by the commotion, followed behind them.

"No! Get away!" Inara's cries got more frantic.

"Aft!" Kaylee exclaimed pointing to her right. "I think it's comin' from the engine room!" She rushed ahead towards her 'office' and turned on the lights.

"Inara?" She called gently. Her response was a small whimper from the back corner. "Capt'n!" The mechanic waved him over.

Mal rushed into the room and headed towards where Kaylee had pointed. "Inara? Ya in here honey?" He looked around as he crept closer to the back. He sighed with relief when he saw her tiny bare feet sticking out from under one of the large engines.

Kneeling down, he looked under the device to see two terrified eyes peering out at him—just like when he had found her in Madrassa. "Hey Bao Bei." He greeted her casually. Realization came across the woman's face right before she scrambled out from under the engine and launched herself into his arms.

"Mal!" She sobbed into his shoulder. "Oh god they're coming back! They're coming for me!" She dug her nails into his back as she clung desperately to him.

"No they're not!" He swore vehemently, pulling back to look into her eyes. "They'll never come near you again! Do you understand me?"

Inara shook her head and burrowed her face into his shoulder. "They're coming! They'll take me away! We can't land again!"

"Qin ai de, it's okay! You're safe with me! I'm not lettin' them take you anywhere! They'd have to kill me first." His words only served to terrify her more as she screamed and held tighter to him.

"Great job Cap." Wash muttered, moving aside so his wife could take her hand at comforting the terrified woman.

"Inara, honey, want to go get some tea?" Zoe asked soothingly as she kneeled in front of them.

"_Honey_?" Mal looked at his first mate questioningly.

Ignoring him, Zoe grabbed Inara's hand and helped her up. "Why don't you come and sit with Kaylee and me?" She talked to her as though she were a little girl who had just had a nightmare.

"Keep her close…" Mal tried to say as they left the engine room.

"Where do you think we gunna go?" Kaylee called over shoulder.

"Come on Mal, you need a drink." Wash pulled the captain to his feet as well and led him to Kaylee's stash of Engine Wine.

/

"Does it hurt bad?" Kaylee reaching out to caress the gashes on her friend's arm. Inara flinched as her fingers grazed over the wounds.

"N-not really." She sniffled, looking towards the doorway of the dining area. "It itches." She tried to smile, but it just came across as an uncomfortable wince.

"I snuck some of these into the basket at the market." Zoe said quietly, coming over with a plate of peach slices. She handed one to Kaylee and one to Inara. The former Companion was able to achieve a small, wistful smile as she stared at the fruit in her hand.

"Thank you." She whispered looking up at the women on either side of her before taking a bite, letting the sweet nectar fill her mouth. They ate in silence for a moment, before she spoke again, "Bells…they…they liked the bells."

Kaylee exchanged a confused glance with Zoe, "What bells Jieh-Jieh?" she asked cautiously stroking her friend's dark curls.

"The bells." Inara repeated, matter-of-factly, "The bells a…at the church…" She looked up and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when Mal entered the room. The normally tough captain looked like a worrisome mother checking on her baby.

"Everything okay?" He queried looking at the three women anxiously. Zoe rolled her eyes and set her teacup on the table.

"We haven't done anything to her." She deadpanned. "She's just fine."

"We're eatin' peaches!" Kaylee exclaimed holding up the plate of fruit. Mal raised his eyebrows and snatched a slice.

"Don't mind if I do!" He put the whole thing in his mouth before they could stop him. "Now what were you ladies discussin'? Boy problems?" He tried to disguise the concern in his voice, but failed.

"We were talkin' about some kinda bells." Kaylee told him. "Church bells was it 'Nara?"

Inara nodded and bit her lip nervously and studied her finger nails. "They…they like them. They wanted to listen to them." She tried to explain, but he could see that it was getting her worked up.

"Who liked them Bao Bei?" Mal asked, squeezing in between her and Kaylee on the couch. "The Reavers?" Her eyes shot up to look at him.

"Don't say that word." She hissed.

He was taken aback by her severe tone. "Okay sweetie, I hear ya…won't happen again." He held up his hands in surrender. "But can you tell me was it the things that did this to you? Was it them who liked the bells?"

She hesitated before nodding. "They stopped…when they heard them they stopped…they stopped…"

"What? They stopped attacking you?" Zoe inquired. Inara bobbed her head up and down in another nod.

"Note to self, buy a plethora of bells next time we're in the market." Mal muttered before turning back to Inara, "Quing Ren, I love that we're sharing, but I haven't heard your voice in three days, I want to do a little private talkin' now, okay?" He whispered, kissing her forehead and helping her stand.

"G'night Inara!" Kaylee called after them as they headed back towards the shuttle. Letting out a sigh, she turned to Zoe, "I hope she'll be okay."

"Her mind is not sure what to do." A small voice from the kitchen startled them.

"Wou Duh Tian Ah, River! Where did you come from?" Zoe placed a hand over her chest.

"She doesn't know what she saw or what happened." The girl continued while staring at the doorway Mal and Inara had just exited. "She felt herself die, and now she can't comprehend why she's not with the rest."

/

_She winced as the door lurched forward and hit the back of her head again. The incessant snarls and grunts from the other side were becoming white noise as she focused on the window in front of her. She watched white fluffy clouds rolling in front of the sun, and she couldn't help but wonder if those were the last clouds she'd see. _

_She dropped her gaze, unable to cater to the thought of never gazing at the blue skies of Sihnon again. Then her eyes fell onto a small trunk under the window—her incense—and she became sanguine once more._

/

**Translations**

**Gan Kwai—Hurry up, faster**

**Qin ai de—Darling, Dear**

**Jieh-Jieh—Big Sister**

**Qing Ren—Sweetheart **

**Wou Duh Tian Ah—Dear God in Heaven**

**/**

**Review? **


	5. V

**Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update! I had the next three chapters written when I realized I hated them immensely, so I erased them! I hope to update more frequently though! But please review so I know that I'm doing okay!**

**/**

At around eight in the morning, Mal realized that going to sleep anytime soon was hopeless. After her sleepwalking adventure and talk with Zoe and Kaylee, he took her to his cabin to sleep the rest of the night. He tried to keep her awake and talking for as long as possible, by asking her inane questions about her favorite foods and animals. He was terrified that if she went to sleep, she'd wake up terrified of her own voice again.

But soon, he set aside his selfishness and settled for simply watching her sleep. He let her lean against is chest, with her back away from him. Her nose was buried in the nape of his neck, breathing him in with each soft snore. Chuckling, Mal tried to imagine the look of appall the former Companion would give him if he were to tell her that she snored. Of course she did it in the most beautiful way possible, but she wouldn't see it that way.

When she began to whimper quietly in her sleep, he quickly sat up on his elbow and rubbed her back gently, minding the bite wounds. "Shhh…Bao Bei…It's okay." He soothed as she began to squirm slightly. Soon, after more quiet assurances and few tiny kisses to her non-wounded cheek, she relaxed and fell back into a peaceful slumber.

Mal couldn't help but sigh as he ran his hand through her tangled curls. "It's going to be okay." He repeated quietly into the dark, as a promise to her and himself.

/

"_Inara Darling, it's time for your lesson!" She heard her mother call from the lanai. Inara ignored her as she swung back and forth on the tire swing her father had just put up on her favorite tree. The large oak sat about ten yards away from the cliff that looked over Messah, Sihnon's largest body of water. She was so content just watching the sky all day. She had always wished she had been born a bird so she could just fly all day and never bother with the silly beings on the ground below. "Inara!"_

_The eight year old rolled her eyes and squirmed her way out of the inside of the tire. Smoothing her hands over her floral dress with WAY too much tulle under the skirt, she walked slowly towards the large mansion._

"_Darling where on earth are your shoes?" Eve Serra demanded as her child climbed the stairs to the veranda. _

"_I left them." Inara said, pointing at the tree she just left before moving to descend back down the stairs, but Eve stopped her._

"_Leave them Bao Bei! Madame Pinchon has been waiting for you." She ran her hand through her daughter's dark curls and smiled. "And thank you for not coming back with leaves in your hair this time."_

_Inara smiled and kissed her mother's cheek before taking a deep breath and walking as gracefully as she could towards the parlor. She stepped into the room and observed the woman sitting in the armchair by the fire, with her back straight as a board. Her auburn hair was pulled into a tight braided bun, with flowered pins coming out of it and she had on a tight, black, long-sleeved dress that went all the way down to the floor._

_Clearing her throat demurely, Inara put on her sweetest voice, "I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting Madame. I do hope it was not too much of an inconvenience." She curtsied as the woman turned to face her._

"_That is alright my child," Madame stood up and walked towards the center of the room. "Are you ready to begin?"_

_Inara nodded and went towards the trunk where she kept her supplies. "Ah Uh!" Madame's voice stopped her. "No armor today."_

_As soon as Inara turned around, the woman tossed a sword to her which she masterfully caught. "What if I get cut?" The child's voice wavered, but Madame decided to overlook it._

"_Well let's just hope you were paying attention last week…now…En guard!"_

/

"Your stitches are pulling again." Simon sighed as he examined her arms. "I thought I told you to keep her calm." He looked at Mal who held his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I ain't responsible for what she does after I go to sleep." He couldn't help but smile at the artificial innocent look Inara was giving the doctor.

"Are you climbing the ladder to Mal's cabin?" Simon asked her, no longer trusting the captain. The former companion bit her lip and nodded. "Why aren't you sleeping in the shuttle? There aren't any ladders and the bed is a lot more comfortable."

Mal opened his mouth to reply, but Inara beat him to it. "I feel safer in the cabin." She whispered.

Mal held out his arms in a _'There you have it' _gesture before realizing what she said. "Qing Ren, you know you're always safe with me right? We can be sleeping on top of the gorram ship and you'd be safe!"

"Well, technically you'd be dead…" Simon muttered.

Mal shot him a look "Ni yao wo kai qiang?"

Inara smacked his arm lightly and winced as the doctor snipped out a loose stitch so he could replace it. "I know I'm safe Mal, I just…I prefer the cabin to the shuttle." She gave him a pleading look, hoping he wouldn't question her further, and he reluctantly complied.

"How's your back feeling?" Simon asked, feeling that their conversation had paused long enough for him to deem it as over.

"Sore." Inara replied, hoping that he wouldn't touch the still tender bite marks. "But I think they're healing. I can't really see them, do they look bad?"

"They seem to be healing a bit." Simon muttered distractedly as he dabbed some ointment on one of the deeper wounds. "I don't think you'll have to sleep on your side TOO much longer." His smile comforted her slightly.

"_Hey cap, we might need ya on the bridge!" _Mal's voice came over the intercom. _"Zoe got us lost again!"_

Mal chuckled when he heard his first mate yelling at her husband in the background right before it cut off. "I'll be right back, will you be okay?" He asked, leaning down to make eye contact with Inara.

"I'm fine!" She assured him, as though it were a foolish question. "Please, go! And be sure to ask Wash how he lost sight of the giant planet we were flying towards!"

He laughed, relieved to hear a bit of his Inara coming back out. "I'll be sure to do that." He gave her a quick kiss before rushing towards the bridge.

An awkward silence fell over the infirmary as Simon continued to work on her back. The doctor cringed as his finger ran over the deep gash on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know it must be pretty painful."

"It is a bit uncomfortable." Inara agreed. "But thank you for helping me. I hate to put you to so much trouble."

Simon quickly shook his head and assured her, "Oh it's no trouble at all! It makes me feel useful!" He laughed a bit as he moved around to work on cleaning the scratches on her neck.

"But still, I'm sure I can manage this part." Inara gestured the antiseptic in his hand. "I could probably get everything but my back."

Simon shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, you certainly can if you want." He replied. "But it's best you don't stretch your arms too much."

"Like I said, I'd only do the front." Inara waved her arms over her torso to prove her range of motion. "I just feel so silly sitting and having someone perform a task I could so easily do myself."

Seeing her reason, Dr. Tam nodded. "Okay, if you want to try and do the front now, I can watch. If it's too painful though, tell me!" He handed her the ointment and watched as she applied it to the stitches and scratches on her arm.

She tried to look around to her shoulder to see if she'd missed anything, but found great difficulty in seeing it. "Is there a mirror I can use or something?"

Simon laughed, "Yeah, I think there's one in here somewhere." He began to rummage through the drawers and cabinets before he located a metal handheld mirror. "Want me to hold it for you?"

Inara smiled and nodded as he held the object up to face her. She applied more ointment to her fingers and looked up to see if she'd missed anything on her arm, but stopped when she saw her reflection. "Na shi shen me?" She choked.

Simon turned the mirror to face him, before looking back to her in confusion. "What?"

Her hand reached up to her left cheek, and he immediately understood. She took the mirror from him, and stared in shock at the large gash that went down the side of her face. "Wh…that's not…that's not me…" She touched the wound again, and whimpered when she touched the marred flesh.

"Inara…" Simon held his hands out to her, but she wasn't listening. Letting out a scream, she threw the mirror at the wall on the opposite end of the infirmary.

"Don't touch me!" She crawled back on the table, dodging his grasp.

Hearing the commotion, Mal stormed into the infirmary, followed by Kaylee, River, and Book who had been in galley. "What the hell—" the captain trailed off when he saw the look of pure agony on Inara's face. "'Nara?"

"No! Don't look at me!" She cried trying to hide her face behind her hands. Mal stepped forward to comfort her, and she immediately tried to crawl back some more, but she ran out of table surface and ended up tumbling to the floor before anyone could stop her.

Book ran over and helped Mal sit the terrified woman up, "Easy child. Yi qi shen hu xi." The Shepherd soothed, pushing her hair out of her face. Inara recoiled and ducked her head.

"Don't! Don't look at me!" She bawled, pushing the men's hands away. "Please, go away!"

Mal turned to the doctor, his eyes burning with anger. "What in the hell happened?" He demanded. "Why is she all a sudden like this when she was smilin' and laughin' not more than five minutes ago?"

Simon sighed and leaned down to pick up what was left of the broken mirror and it dawned on the Captain. "Ben dan!" He snapped at the younger man before turning back to his girl.

"Bao Bei, look at me." He pleaded, gently taking Inara's face in his hands. "Sweetie, it's okay."

"No, no it's not!" Inara sniffled trying to slap his hands away. "Th-those… monsters…they…they…" She broke off in another cry and collapsed into his embrace.

"I don't care what they did." Mal whispered into her neck. "You're mine! You're my beautiful, BEAUTIFUL Inara." He was on the verge of tears himself.

Inara wasn't a vain woman by any means, but in the culture she grew up in, looks were a necessity to one's existence. She was taught to always look her best, and luckily for her, it never took a lot for her to do so. She was always flawless no matter what. But now, in her eyes, that had changed.

"O-one of them!" She whimpered, clinging to him. "They tried…tried to make me one of them!"

"But they didn't!" Book assured her rubbing her back. "You're here with us."

"Am I?" Inara turned to glare at him.

"Yes you are." The Shepherd stood and motioned for Kaylee and River to follow him out. "Let's let the doctor finish here."

"She's bleeding!" Simon cursed as Mal picked Inara up and set her on the table. He avoided the captain's angry glare as he set to patching up the newly opened wounds on her back.

/

"What the hell was all that ruckus?" Jayne demanded, as they got back to the galley.

"Inara's not doing too well with her…scratch…" Kaylee pointed to her face. "She just seen it for the first time I guess."

"She's upset about that little thing?" The mercenary snorted, "Hell! I got me a scar on my ass that's twice the size of that and even more ugly!"

"Well, be it for me to say Jayne, you might not want to consider showing that to her or to anyone else for that matter." Shepherd sighed, sitting on the couch and rubbing his forehead.

"Poor 'Nara." Kaylee said quietly. "She used to be so happy and…serene…"

"And she still can be." Book assured her. "We just need to give her time to heal, and meditate." He patted the mechanic's back.

"She just wants to go home." River murmured from her perch on top of the kitchen counter.

/

By the time Simon finished cleaning her up, her cries had turned into tiny whimpers. Mal stroked her hair lovingly and nuzzled her nose with his own. "You okay Bao Bei?" He whispered, relieved that she was no longer pulling away from him.

Inara shook her head and grasped his hand in her own. "Why did you come back for me?" She demanded, looking him square in the eyes. "Why couldn't you just let me die?"

/

**Translations:**

**Bao Bei— Baby, Precious, Treasure**

**Qing Ren—Sweetheart **

**Ni yao wo kai qiang—You want a bullet right in your throat?**

**Na shi shen me—What is that?**

**Yi qi shen hu xi—Let's take a deep breath**

**Ben dan—Idiot **

**/**

**Reviews fuel this ship!**


	6. VI

**A/N: Hello Again! My next chapter will take a bit longer to come up because I'm in the process of moving and I might not get internet right away!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

"_Madame! Madame!" Eve Serra looked up when she heard her head gardener's frantic voice coming from the back lanai. Closing her book, she hurried out of the study and into the kitchen. She gasped when she looked out the glass door and saw the large man holding her tiny daughter._

"_Inara! Bao Bei!" She swung the door open and took the trembling child into her arms. "Armand, what happened?" She demanded, carrying the girl towards the island in the kitchen and setting her down on the counter. She gasped when she saw a large gash on her daughter's leg._

"_She fell off of her swing." Armand explained. "She was going very high, and she slipped right out!" He waited for a nod from his mistress, before heading back outside to finish his work._

"_I landed on a root." Inara cried as her mother went to wet a rag in the sink. "I'm sorry mama!" She winced when Eve pressed the cloth against the wound._

"_Don't apologize darling, I'm just so glad you're alright!" Eve kissed her daughter's forehead and cleaned off the cut before examining it closely. "It will hardly leave a mark at all! And if you keep it super clean, you won't even scar." She gave the little girl a bright smile._

"_But what if it does scar? I'll be ruined!" Inara wailed and threw her arms around her mother's neck. Eve sighed and picked her up again._

"_Inara, you will NOT be ruined!" She scolded, carrying her into the study and sitting back down in her chair with her daughter in her lap. "You see this?" She pointed at a faint white line on her chin. Inara nodded and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I got that when I was six years old when I fell out of a tree my mother told me not to climb because the branches weren't strong enough."_

_Inara giggled. "And Grandmother was right wasn't she?" _

_Eve nodded "Yes she was! And look at this." She held up the back of her hand where three more tiny white lines marred her tan flesh. "I got this one a couple years later when I was about your age, when I tried to pet our neighbor's guard dog."_

"_Is that why you won't get me a puppy?" Inara's eyes narrowed at her mother._

"_That's not the point dearest." She touched her daughter's nose. "What I'm saying is that I entered the guild when I was thirteen with these scars and they didn't even notice."_

"_What if they DO notice this one?" Inara suddenly became frightened again, "What if they turn me away?"_

"_They won't my angel." Eve kissed her forehead, "And who cares if they do? You're perfection, scars or no scars. Don't you dare let them tell you otherwise."_

/

He stayed with her in the infirmary until nightfall. She had been asleep for nearly three hours when Zoe came in with a tray of food for them.

"How's she doing?" His first mate whispered, handing him a plate. She smiled down at Inara who finally, after days of stress, looked peaceful.

"She's miserable." Mal replied, kissing Inara's hand before setting it down gently and accepting the food. "But what can I do? How can I convince a woman who was told her whole life that she needed to be perfect, that a little scratch on her face means nothin' to me?"

"It's not a little scratch." Zoe argued, "It's a gash, a gash that's going to leave a scar."

"I don't care!" Mal would have shouted had it not been for the woman sleeping beside him, "Half her face could be torn off and she'd still be gorgeous!"

Zoe bit back a chuckle. "Why don't you go eat in the other room Captain?" She led him towards the door. "I'll stay with Inara! Wash needs to know the plan for landing in Whittier tomorrow, now go!"

Torn between staying with his beloved and being a captain, Mal reluctantly chose the latter and stomped out of the infirmary.

"I'll tell ya what missy," Zoe told the sleeping woman as she took Mal's vacated stool, "They say I'm tough, but you're a whole other kinda strong to be putting up with that Hun Dan."

"Who's a Hun Dan?" Inara's hoarse voice startled her.

"Nihao!" She covered her surprise with a cheery greeting. "Did you sleep well?" She helped the former Companion sit up slowly.

"I suppose…" Inara looked around warily. "Where's Mal?"

"He's in the galley. He just had to go speak with my husband about this silly fish-run we're making tomorrow. Shouldn't be too long." Zoe smiled and gestured to the food on the tray between them. "Hungry?"

Inara nodded and picked up a freeze dried green bean. "What fish-run?" She inquired before taking a small bite of the vegetable. Zoe raised her eyebrows in surprise. Never in the three years that she'd known her, had she ever seen the elegant woman eat with her hands. But given that she was unable to grip much of anything at the current time, she understood.

"Oh, Um…" She shook her head, "Dr. Jessup, in Whittier, wants us to transport a yidun of fanciful fish to some new aquarium they're buildin' up in Londinium."

"How are we going to transport fish?" Inara asked as she began to nibble on what one could only assume was a chicken flavored protein bar.

"Ya got me." Zoe shrugged. "That's for our brilliant Captain to figure out."

Inara smiled and continued to eat. After a few minutes of silence she looked up at the other woman, "Be honest," She whispered, "How bad is it?"

Zoe knew what she was referring to, "Not as bad as you think." She assured her without a moment's thought. "One cut isn't goin' to make you any less pretty to the captain or any of us." She gave Inara one of her rare, genuine smiles and patted her shoulder.

Inara wasn't comforted by her words, but she couldn't help but feel soothed by her smile. She had always respected Zoe, whether it be her conquer the 'verse attitude, or her ability to handle Mal in his worst forms, she looked up to her in a way.

"I don't feel very well." She whispered, pushing her plate away. "Thank you for bringing it though." She gracefully slid off of the table.

"Maybe you shouldn't be moving too much Mei Mei." Zoe let the endearment slip without thinking about it. Inara seemed surprised about it herself, but she kept on with her actions.

"I'm okay." She let out a tiny groan as she tried to stand up straight. "Wo de ma, how tight did that doctor stitch me up?"

"Pretty tight, this was the second time he had to redo 'em." Zoe informed her, gently grabbing her hand when she saw her stumbling, "Oh! Sorry!" She grimaced when she saw that the hand she held was the one with the stab wound in it.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Mal demanded, storming down the hall. "Are you okay?" He touched Inara's forehead with the back of his hand.

"I'm fine."

"You're pale. Doctor!" He yelled for Simon who poked his head out of his and Kaylee's room. "She's warm, you're warm!" He informed his girlfriend before picking her up and setting her back on the bed.

"No! Please, I just want to walk!" Inara begged as Simon put a thermometer in her ear. She relaxed slightly as Mal ran his fingers lightly over her arm.

"She does have a bit of a temperature." The doctor murmured, "I better give her another antibiotic injection." He set to work getting a syringe while Mal turned to Zoe.

"You had one job." He scolded light-heartedly. Zoe rolled her eyes and patted Inara's hand before heading out towards the bridge.

"Are we going to an aquarium?" Inara asked wincing as Simon stuck her in the arm with the injection. Caught off guard by the question, Mal had to think about it for a moment.

"Um, yeah kinda." He replied, pushing her hair behind her ears. "But I don't know how much will be done. We'll just be supplying some of the decorative fish. Nothing spectacular."

"I love aquariums." She whispered. Her voice was so soft that he almost didn't hear her. The corner of Mal's mouth twitched.

"Well we'll see what we can do about goin' in. Kay?" He ran his fingers over her gash-free cheek. "But I want you to try to relax for a few hours."

Inara sighed and nodded. "Alright, but I want to sleep in your cabin." She said firmly. "I don't like sleeping in here…it's too exposed." She shuddered as she eyed the windows lining the wall.

"Fine by me." Mal tried not to seem too eager as he helped her down from the table and led her towards his room.

/

"Is 'Nara okay?" Kaylee asked when Simon came back into her cabin a little while later. Simon gave her a brief nod, as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"She's completely recovered from the shock of her wound." He stated in shock.

"Well, that's a good thing ain't it?" Kaylee asked, rubbing his back. "She's doin' better than she was earlier?"

"She's not doing better…she's just…not reacting anymore." He shook his head and turned to smile at her. "I'm sorry, I'm just being paranoid. I'm sure she's going to be fine."

Kaylee nodded. "She'll be more than fine! She's got a whole lotta people on this ship that love her and will take good care of her!" She kissed his cheek and pulled him back to lie down with her.

/

"How do you feel? Is that comfy enough?" Mal asked stepping back. Inara shrugged and looked down at the pillows that surrounded her body.

"Where did all of these come from?" She asked, nudging a fluffy heart shaped cushion with her knee.

"Leftovers from a haul we made to Beaumonde last year." Mal muttered as he leaned down to tuck the large fluffy quilt he'd purchased while they were on Persephone under her feet. "Are you warm enough? How's your back?"

"It's fine Mal! Stop asking!" She rolled her eyes as he continued to dote on her. "Are you going to lie down anytime soon?"

"Oh yeah! Of course!" Mal quickly stripped down to his undershirt and boxers. He smiled at her as he lay down beside her in the nest of pillows and took her gently into his arms. "Are you ok—is this okay?" He quickly corrected.

"Yes, it's wonderful." Inara murmured burying her face into his neck.

Just when they'd gotten comfortable, Wash's voice came over the speaker. "Cap, can you come up to the bridge please?" The pilot's voice was calm but they could hear a sense of urgency to it.

"The Chun probably got us lost again!" Mal growled, sitting back up. Inara grabbed his arm before her could climb out of the bed.

"I don't want to be alone." She whispered, her eyes wide and frightened. He was taken aback by how quickly she became panic-stricken.

"Bao Bei, it's alright, nothin's gunna hurt ya down here." He tried to assure her, but tears were already welling up in her eyes. "Okay! Okay! Do you wanna come up with me? I'm sure it won't take too long."

When she gave him a quick nod, he stood up and grabbed her robe. After helping her put it on, he got himself dressed, and began to assist her up the ladder. "I think I like it this way better." He teased as she rubbed up against his front. His heart lit up when she turned to give him one of her classic glares.

When they got to the hallway he yelled up to the bridge. "Wash! What the hell's goin' on now?" He held onto her elbow as they climbed the stairs.

"Cap! We've got Reavers—" Wash began, but stopped when he swiveled his chair and saw the woman standing behind the captain.

Mal's eyes widened before he immediately turned to Inara, whose face was as white as he had ever seen it. "N-no!" She whimpered before collapsing into his arms, unconscious.

/

_She had to plan it perfectly. She mentally reviewed where everything inside of the trunk was located. "Explosive Incense bottom left…matches in box…bottom…right…" She whispered to herself, wincing when she felt her broken ribs protest at her attempts to breath._

_As she felt the door lunge forward again, she braced herself before jumping to her feet and sprinting towards the opposite side of the room. She could hear the door fly open behind her, but she didn't look back—she knew what was there. She opened the trunk and grabbed a handful of incense, but before she could reach for the matches she felt one of them grab her shoulder._

_Suddenly, she blacked out. _

_The next thing she knew, she woke up under her bed staring into Mal's terrified eyes._

**Hun Dan—Bastard **

**Nihao—Hello **

**Yidun—A ton**

**Wo de ma—Mother of God**

**Chun—Dumbass **

**Bao Bei—Baby, Precious, Treasure**


	7. VII

**A/N: So sorry about the wait! I have been moving for the past two weeks and I was without internet for part of that time. It was rough, but I was able to make a nice big chapter in the meantime. **

**There isn't a ton of action per say in this chapter, but it's a good filler to have before things get intense again!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

Mal caught her without a moment's thought, "Wash! What the Di Yu is going on?" He demanded lifting her into his arms.

"They're right in our path." The pilot explained, "Maybe they haven't seen us yet, but if we change course now, they'll definitely notice!"

Mal cursed "Just stay on course!" He ordered before directing his attention back towards the woman in his arms. "Inara? C'mon darlin' wake up for me!" He pleaded giving her a gentle shake.

"Sir." Zoe's voice called from the co-pilot's seat. "Maybe it's best that she sleeps until we pass." She suggested. Mal set his jaw and nodded with a sigh.

Silently he watched as the large vessel ahead of them drew closer and closer. He couldn't see any lights on the ship, but the red paint and sparks coming from the sides stood out in the black.

"She can smell the death." A small voice whispered from the corridor. Mal's head shot around to see River crouched at the bottom of the stairs. "Smells it on her clothes…in her hair…"

"Albatross, what are you goin' on about?" He demanded, kneeling down so he could rest Inara on his knee.

"She can't take it again…Won't survive it…"

The captain decided to ignore the girl's ramblings before turning back towards the ship looming in the distance. "I don't see no magnet." He muttered. "Maybe it's one of 'em smaller ones."

"Yeah sure, but they still have canons on them…and REAVERS inside." Wash replied, getting more and more anxious as they drew nearer. Zoe nudged her husband to silence him before turning to her captain.

"I don't think they even see us sir." She told him confidently.

And it appeared that she was right. They flew right by the intimidating vessel and it didn't even slow down to give them a second glance. Mal sighed and collapsed back against the doorway to the bridge. "Ai ya! I need a vacation." He said before turning to his pilot. "Wash, you get us to Whittier just as fast as she can move. Dong Ma?"

"Ai Yi Captain!" Wash, who was equally winded by their brush with death, saluted and put Serenity into full burn.

"Okay Qing Ren," Mal whispered to Inara, as he carried her back down the stairs. "Let's you and I go wake up doctor boy."

/

_She hated the idea of hurting anyone. But Madame Pinchon continued to insist that it was absolutely essential to her training. "If you were stuck in a room with an angry client. Be it a man or a woman," The woman paced behind her as she sat nervously in her armchair in the study. "Wouldn't you want to know how to defend yourself?"_

"_But what if there isn't a sword in the room." Inara demanded. "Or a pistol?" She gestured the array of artillery arranged neatly on the table in front of her._

"_Then you learn to improvise." Madame patted the child's head. "It only takes one slight pinch in a precise location to kill a human." Inara flinched when the woman pinched her cheek as she said this._

"_What if he __**pinches**__ me first?" She growled, disliking every bit of this area of study. _

_Madame laughed and sat on the arm of the chair beside her. "Darling, if you let him that close, then you deserve it."_

/

"Mal?" She whimpered as she awakened abruptly from her sleep. In an instant she knew where she was and she knew that she was safe. She turned to look at the man who was holding her in his arms as he slept soundly beside her on the small infirmary bed. He seemed calm, he wouldn't be asleep otherwise.

She let out a breath of relief and closed her eyes. She must have imagined Wash's words. Her Captain wouldn't be lying in here with her if there were Reavers anywhere near Serenity.

/

"I've never been here before." Inara told him as he carried her towards her shuttle. "What's the weather like? I mean it's pretty close to Kalidasa so it must be warm right."

"S'not as close as one might think." Mal set her down on her bed gently before opening her wardrobe. "It's the tenth planet out so it can get a might chilly. Doc Jessup told me that it's between winter and spring, so we need to bring warmer clothes if we're gunna be near the water."

Inara nodded and smiled when he held up one of her negligees and stared at it in bafflement. "So we'll be by the ocean?"

"Some." He murmured, as he finally found some thick tights amongst her undergarments. "But you'll mostly be inside the sanctuary with me. I need your keen eye to help me with pickin' out fish worthy enough for a big ole fancy aquarium."

"I'll do what I can." Inara said as he pulled one of her few sweaters over her head and helped her thread her arms through the sleeves. "But I don't really know too much about fish."

Mal chuckled and fixed her hair as it stood up from the static of the wool sweater. "As long as you say it's purdy, I defer to your judgment." He said with a mock bow. Inara giggled and smacked his arm.

/

Whittier was by far, one of the oddest planets they had ever touched down on. It had all of the looks of a tropical planet—with palm trees, brightly colored buildings, and sandy beaches—but once they lowered the ramp of the ship, they felt the stark contrast of the weather.

"Wo de ma! It's worse than St. Albans out here!" Jayne exclaimed as he scurried away to find a jacket.

"It's just a bit o' wind!" Kaylee called to the bickering mercenary. "There ain't a speck of snow on the ground!" She turned and grabbed River's hand before pulling the girl towards the beach. "C'mon River! Let's go collect some shells!"

"Kaylee, I find one grain of sand on this here ship and I'm throwin' you in the airlock!" Mal yelled as the two youngest members of his crew scurried across the freezing sand in their bare feet. "Doc, keep an eye on them, make sure they don't get into too much trouble." He ordered Simon, who seemed to already have that exact intention.

"Sir, The Shepherd and I will go down to the market and round up some rations and such." Zoe told him.

"'Kay…go check with Kaylee and see if she still needs a replacement for thermal cap in the bridge."

"Yes sir."

Mal watched his crew disperse before turning to Inara who was sitting on one of the crates in the cargo hold. She was bundled up in about four layers—the top of which were a pair of his trousers and thickest winter coat. "We got Jayne with us." He told her, walking over and taking her fidgeting hands. "He'll be stuck to our side like white on rice…you feel uneasy or scared at all you let him know. Dong ma?"

Inara nodded, "Dong." She tried to give him a smile, but her lips were shaking too much. "Um…maybe I should just stay on board with Wash…I mean…he might need help holding down the fort."

"Do you want to stay on board?" Mal asked her with a gentle smile.

Inara sighed and looked down at their hands. "No. I want to stay with you." She whispered. "I just don't want to be trapped again."

"You won't be Bao Bei. I promise you that." He kissed her forehead and glared at Jayne as he came bounding down the stairs in his thick coat. "You ready to go Chun?" He rolled his eyes as the large man donned the _cunning_ hat his mother had sent him.

"Now I am." Jayne gave them as innocent a smile as he could muster as he bounded towards the ramp. "I hope this guy's got some sharks! Or some kind of mutated laser sting rays!"

/

"The Indigo Daphne are by far my most popular creation." Dr. Jessup informed them as they strolled through his large sanctuary. "I have bred many different types of Daphne—large, small, bow-finned, rose, azure—but the Indigo have been quite satisfactory."

Jayne grimaced as the small man gestured to the tiny fish swimming about in a large tank. "What…those little purple things?" He tapped the glass making the fish scatter behind some decorative reef.

Mal slapped his hand away, "Indigo ben dan!" He growled. "Now for the last time, no tappin'!"

Inara smiled at the two and turned to Dr. Jessup, "I think a few dozen of these would be lovely." She told him.

Jessup was a very kind old man, who had been in contact with Mal for years. Though they never made it out to his planet before, he was always a good contact to have when it came to finding respectable clients—given that he made a career out of selling rare fish to the wealthiest in the 'verse.

He had been kind enough to provide Inara with a wheelchair when he saw her moving around with some discomfort about twenty minutes into their visit. Jayne had volunteered to push her, but quickly had that responsibility revoked when he made the chair pop-a-wheelie and nearly startled her to death.

"What are these gooey lookin' things?"

"Those are my Hydrozoa's." Jessup told him, staring at the graceful creatures with pride. "They're a rare breed of phylum Cnidaria…Jellyfish." He elaborated at the Captain's confused look.

"They're kinda shiny." Mal smiled as the long, colorful blobs swirled around each other. "Whatchya think 'Nara?"

"Beautiful." Inara agreed, "Can they live with other species?"

"The males can." Jessup nodded, "The females can be quite vicious though."

"Hm…sounds about right." Mal chuckled when Inara glared up at him as he pushed her along. They left the main part of the sanctuary and wandered into a dark hallway.

"These are my newest hybrids." Jessup announced, before flipping a switch. Ultraviolet lights that lined the walls illuminated to reveal several large tanks full of glowing, colorful fish.

"Son of a bitch." Jayne gasped as he approached a tank full of long neon colored electric eels. "These things are gao gan!"

"What do you think Bao Bei?" Mal murmured resting his chin on top of Inara's head as she looked around in amazement.

"Jing cai." She whispered.

/

Zoe, Book, Wash, and Simon made their way over to the sanctuary to help them bring tank after tank back to Serenity. Dr. Jessup, not new to shipping aquatic life, had constructed a type of clear shipping crate that had filtration systems as well as compartments at the top for feeding.

"Doc, thank ya kindly for your assistance." Mal said, shaking the older man's hand.

"Oh, it was my pleasure my boy." Jessup smiled. "And I so enjoyed meeting your charming—" He went to address Inara, but found that the woman was no longer beside Mal. She had wandered from the chair and towards a small tank near the back of the room.

"'Nara, darlin'?" Mal called cautiously walking towards her as she grazed her fingers across the top of the water. "Careful now…that could be one o' them laser rays Jayne was goin' on about." He took her hand in his and peered into the tank.

"Laser…what?" Jessup crinkled his eyes in confusion.

"Doctor, what is this?" Inara asked, ignoring Mal's alarm as she knelt down to get a closer look at the long grayish-blue fish in the bowl.

"This is one of my failed creations." The doctor sighed. "I tried to recreate the largest mammal to ever exist on the Earth-that-was."

"The Blue Whale." Inara said softly, eliciting a surprised look from both men.

"Yes indeed." Jessup smiled and shook his head. "Something went wrong with the mathematics, and I ended up with this little fellow, no bigger than my hand."

"He's beautiful." She brushed her fingers over the glass and gave the tiny whale one more fleeting glance before turning back to them. "What's his name?"

"I never got around to naming him." Jessup shrugged. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't expect him to live this long, but here we are nearly a year after his creation and he's swimming strong." He studied Inara as she turned to stare at the fish again. "Would you like him?"

Her head whipped back towards him. "Shen me?"

"I have no use for him here. And you seem to have a lot more value in him." The doctor said passively. "If you'd like to take him, he's yours."

Inara smiled and looked back at Mal pleadingly. The captain chuckled and lifted his hands. "How can I say no?" He grinned as she wrapped her arms around his waist in the most enthusiastic hug she could muster in her state.

/

"He's just shiny 'Nara!" Kaylee exclaimed over her friend's new pet as they watched Jayne and Wash set the tank up in her shuttle. "You gotta name for him yet?" Inara smiled and nodded.

"I was thinking Galileo." She replied.

"Gally-ayo, that's kinda a funny name." Jayne teased lightheartedly.

"He was rather famous on Earth-that-was…he had something to do with the discovery of…well all of this…" She gestured out the window of the shuttle's cockpit.

"I like it." Kaylee assured her, sticking her tongue out at Jayne.

"My-Oh-My!" Mal announced his arrival while clapping his hands together. "Don't he look nice with all your décor?" He kissed the top of Inara's head.

"Yeah, how nice of you to show up right when we're DONE maneuverin' this giant tank." Wash narrowed his eyes at the captain as he wiped some spilt water off of his hands.

"Excuse me!" Mal held his hands up. "I was just busy arranging for us to have a nice supper at the nicest joint on the planet, but if you think I was just waistin' my time, I'll call and cancel!"

"No! No need for that!" Waved him off.

"Well, good." Mal nodded indignantly. "Now…go get dressed, the lot of ya. We're meeting at the docks in twenty." At that, Kaylee, Wash, and Jayne hurried out of the shuttle towards their respective cabins.

The Captain chuckled at his crew before turning to study Inara who was still focused on her whale. "Hey." He called running his hand across her shoulders. "You okay for one more outing?"

Inara smiled and gave him a small nod. "Of course. As long as it's not TOO nice of a restaurant." She murmured, lifting her fingers to run them across her wounded cheek, but retracting them when she saw Mal studying her.

"Jayne's comin' ain't he?" He joked, trying to fake a smile, but failing when he saw her shoulders slump as she sat back on her couch. "You okay darlin'?" He sat down next to her and began playing with her hair.

"Yes. Just tired." She rested her head on his shoulders. "I'm going to sleep very well tonight after all of this action." She let out a wry chuckle. Mal grinned and ran a hand up and down a small stitch-free section of her arm.

"I'm glad you came out with me today." He murmured into her hair.

"Me too." She smiled and turned her face up to look at him. "And I'm very glad that we'll be eating ACTUAL food tonight."

/

"Wow! Look at that sunset!" Kaylee exclaimed as her and Simon walked arm and arm down the dock leading to the restaurant.

"Man, I've missed those!" Wash wrapped his arm around Zoe. "We need stop and admire this kinda stuff more often!"

"Yeah, I'll be sure to remember that next time the Alliance is on our tail." The Captain replied, as he pushed Inara in the wheelchair that Jessup had let them keep. Inara chuckled quietly as the approached the ferryboat that had been refurbished into a five-star Brasserie.

Her smile quickly faded when a group of tipsy women exited the boat and walked past them. A couple of them turned to stare at the former Companion not so surreptitiously, before carrying on with their inebriated stroll. Noticing the judgmental looks they were giving her, Mal quickly ran his hand through her curls and leaned over to kiss her.

"You okay Meinu?" He whispered. Inara shook her head as she tried to bite back the tears that were playing with her eyelashes.

Watching them sadly, Jayne reached into his pocket and knelt down in front of the distraught woman. "Your ears getting' cold?" He asked pulling the yellow and orange knit cap over her head, and carefully covering the gash with one of the ear flaps. Inara smiled shakily and nodded.

"Yes…Th…thank you." She tried not to let her voice shake as she answered. Mal watched in utter shock as the large mercenary stood up and followed the others inside.

"I'm gunna have to give that Hun Dan a raise."

**/**

**Review?**

**/**

**Di Yu—Hell **

**Ai ya—Damn **

**Dong Ma—Understand?**

**Qing Ren—Sweetheart **

**Dong—Understand **

**Bao Bei—Sweetheart, Precious, Treasure**

**Chun—Dumbass **

**Ben dan—Idiot**

**Gao Gan—Awesome **

**Jing Cai—Brilliant **

**Shen me—What?**

**Meinu—Beautiful **


	8. VIII

**A/N: I own nothing!**

He smiled sadly as he watched her across the table. The restaurant's outdoor dining area had a long wooden table, much like their one on Serenity, and they were seated as they always were. He was glad that she was able to distract herself by talking to Kaylee and River. He didn't like seeing her in any kind of pain—emotional or physical—and the look she had on her face when those women stared at her nearly killed him.

"We saw a crab the size of Jayne's head!" Kaylee exclaimed. "It was huge!"

"Hey!" Jayne gave her a glare as he chewed on his eighth breadstick. The young mechanic giggled and nudged the hulking man with her shoulder.

"Dr. Jessup, I'm very interested to hear about your facility." Simon said, draping his arm across the back of Kaylee's chair. The older man seemed surprised to be addressed as he wiped his mouth on his napkin.

"Oh it's not as grand as one might think." He shrugged, pushing his empty plate away from himself. "I started it a few decades ago with my late wife. We found that the rich and powerful will pay nearly anything for a pretty fish if we make a limited amount of them." The crew chuckled at the man's obvious contempt for the core dwellers.

"You look a might bit pale darlin'." Mal murmured quietly reaching across the table and pushing Jayne's hat back from Inara's forehead.

"I'm fine." She assured him with a gentle smile. "Just a little tired."

"Don't be a hero." He wagged his finger at her and she rolled her eyes as she pushed it down.

"Don't be a Muquin Muji!" Her eyes glinted a bit as they bickered like they used to.

/

"Malcolm, you will call me if there is a problem, yes?" Jessup said as they approached Serenity. Night had fully fallen on Whittier and the air was even icier now. Inara was wrapped in his Brown Coat as well as a thick blanket that Kaylee had been smart enough to bring along. The exhausted woman was sleeping in the wheelchair as the captain pushed it down the walkway leading to the ship.

"Of course, I'll wave you at the first sign of a problem." Mal promised the doctor, patting his shoulder. "But I tell ya, them shipping tanks seem sturdier than Serenity's hull, so I doubt there'd be any kind o' dilemma!"

"I wasn't just referring to the fish son." Jessup said quietly nodding towards Inara. "I know some pretty powerful people who owe me a few favors. If she needs anything at all, you know how to reach me."

Mal smiled at the older man and nodded. "Yes sir." He was grateful that good people still existed in the 'Verse. "Thank you, that…that means an awful lot."

"You're a good man, and she's a sweet girl. Neither of you deserve what's befallen upon her." A flash of anger appeared in Jessup's eyes, before he quickly recovered. "Safe travels my boy." He shook the captain's hand before turning back towards town.

Mal watched him leave in confusion before entering the ship and closing the hatch.

/

"_Don't let your fears get in the way of your well-being." Madame told her. "You're a beautiful girl, I'd hate for someone to hurt you."_

"_Why would anyone want to hurt me?" The child asked, fiddling with her crossbow and staring at the target on a tree across the yard._

"_It should never happen." Pinchon soothed her, "But there are people out there who will find your weakness and will use it against you. And right now, your weakness is your fear of being disliked."_

"_I thought Companions were supposed to be adored." Inara argued arching an eyebrow._

"_Yes, if it is by someone who has earned the privilege to adore you. But if a man hurts you, or threatens you, the first thing you need to do is throw your charm out of the window and show him just how un-likable you can be." Madam guided the child's arms into the right position with the weapon. "Now, I want you to picture a boy, who is about your age…one that you admire._

_Inara thought a moment before her handsome next door neighbor came to mind. "Alright." She sighed with a nod._

"_What is his name?" Pinchon asked. "Inara don't be childish." She scolded when the girl gave her a shy look._

"_Ephraim." Inara said through clenched teeth._

"_Alright, now picture Ephraim. He's nice to you, he gives you presents, and he brings you flowers." Madame instructed. "You give him a kiss, and that's all he wanted. So then he starts to mistreat you, he starts to yell at you, and threaten you."_

"_Why would he—?"_

"_Listen darling." Madame patted the child's arm. "I want you to picture Ephraim hurting you. He starts to hit you and pull your hair." _

"_He wouldn't do that!"_

"_He might. He has what he wants now, what good are you to him?" Pinchon smoothed Inara's ringlets back as the child focused on the target. "Now picture that as Ephraim." She points at the circle._

_Inara sighs and closes one eye as she aims. Sensing that the girl is not quite getting it, Pinchon continues. "He's gone beyond threatening you, and hurting you. He's gotten your mother now." She knew what the child loved most. "He's got your mother locked away somewhere, hurting and bleeding and in need of your help. He's a ruthless and angry man." Inara lets out a whimper and fires._

_Madame smiles when she sees the progress her student has made. "You see how easy it is to kill a man who wants nothing of you?" She stands and makes her way over to replace the target, leaving the terrified child crying behind her._

_After that day, she never invited Ephraim to come over and play again._

_/_

She could hear them arguing as she approached the bridge.

"No! She needs more rest!"

"Captain, it could be good for her." Zoe's voice tried to reason.

"I'm sorry, who's in charge here?"

"It's just a wave." The first mate sighed. "What harm could it do for her to reply to it?"

"A whole lotta harm if it upsets her any!"

"It won't upset her! She loves her mother!"

"My mother waved?" She decided that was the time to announce her presence. Wash, Zoe, and Mal all seemed to jump and turn in unison.

"I…well…yeah I reckon she did." Mal sighed glaring at Zoe. "While we was eatin' on Whittier I s'pose."

"What did she say?"

"She just wants you to respond as soon as you can." Wash answered before the captain could say anything. "She seemed kind of worried."

"Can I wave her back?" Inara asked, giving Mal a pleading look when he started to hesitate. "Please?"

Mal let out a tiny growl and nodded. "Fine…whatever you want darlin'." He relented walking over to her. "Want be to sit in with ya?"

"If you want to." Inara shrugged with a smile. "I promise I won't let myself get excited." She turned and left the bridge, relieved when she heard him plodding behind her.

/

"Inara? Wo de tian a! What happened Bao Bei?" Eve Serra exclaimed the moment the wave connected. Mal couldn't help but let a small smile come across his face when he saw the woman on Inara's cortex.

Eve was a prime example of aging gracefully. It was obvious that Inara got all of her stunning features from her mother. From the darks curls and beautiful complexion to the soft voice and expressive eyes, there was no denying that the two were related.

"Mother I'm fine." Inara assured the woman.

"I saw that there had been an attack on Madrassa...they said that there had been no survivors…" The older woman was beginning to have trouble catching her breath.

"I did survive though mama." Inara decided it was alright to be informal with her terrified mother. "I was saved, by Mal." She gestured to the suddenly uncomfortable captain seated behind her on her couch.

"H-hi…ma'am." He waved awkwardly.

"Captain Reynolds…thank you." Eve choked. "Inara is my most treasured gift…you have rescued my reason for being."

"Mama…please." Inara began to blush as the woman broke down again. "I'm alright."

"It wasn't men who did this to you was it?" Eve demanded, suddenly composed enough to speak.

"No…no." Inara squinted her eyes in confusion. "Mother, what did they say happened?" She turned to Mal who seemed just as interested to know.

"They said that a band scorned Independents raided the planet and killed everyone in sight. They claimed that they are going after all of the Core planets in revenge." Eve dabbed her eyes before rolling them. "I knew it was all lies though."

Mal clenched his jaw and nodded. "You were right in thinkin' that ma'am." He growled.

"Mama." Inara begun, "Reavers did it." She braced herself for the skepticism she had faced at Madrassa and all other core planets.

But she should have remembered that her mother wasn't like all of those people. "They are real then." Eve's eyes narrowed. "How dare those men lie about my daughter's death?"

"Mother, I'm not dead."

"But you could be! And I would have put you in the ground thinking that a good soldier did it to you."

Mal smiled at the fiery woman's words.

"Please relax." Inara could see that she was getting worked up again. "I'm safe now. I'm with Mal, and the crew, and we're going to Londinium in a couple of days to go to the aquarium…"

"I need to see you!" Eve cut her off with something very close to a shout.

Taken aback, Inara's mouth gaped before she replied, "I can't…I mean…it's terribly far away Sihnon, and I don't want to make them travel to far…"

"I want to put my arms around my child. I need to know that you're really alive and safe." Eve pleaded.

Knowing what the woman was feeling, Mal spoke up, "We can be there in two weeks." Inara turned to look at him in surprise.

"Oh! Thank you Captain Reynolds!" Eve gave him a smile that was identical to Inara's.

"You're quite welcome ma'am, now 'Nara needs her rest." He told her standing up and walking over to the cortex. "We'll be wavin' ya in the next week to make further arrangements." He let the two women say goodbye before switching the screen off.

"That's very kind of you Mal, thank you." Inara said with a sincere nod. "I feel horrible that I hadn't thought to wave her sooner."

"Well you had a lot on your mind." Captain soothed her as he helped her stand and led her towards the bed. "Besides, I feel for her. I know I would be goin' stir crazy if I couldn't hold you every day." He kissed her softly before removing her robe and helping her lie down.

"I doubt her hugs will be quite as intimate as yours." Inara teased as he climbed into bed beside her.

"Maybe not." He shrugged. "But I bet they'll be just as comfortin'."

/

**Kind of a weird place to stop I know. But it's the best place I could find. I wanted to get another chapter up before I go camping tomorrow, and I thought it would be best to break up this mega-chapter I have going! The next part should be uploaded when I get back this weekend! I'll have my computer, just no internet! Stupid nature and all of its splendor…**

**Translations:**

**Muquin Muji—Mother Hen**

**Wo de tian a—Oh My God**

**Xiaonu—Daughter**


	9. IX

**Hello all! I'm SO sorry this took me so long! Just like the past couple of chapters, I had nearly the whole thing written, before changing my mind and starting COMPLETELY over! I hope you all like it!**

**I own nothing!**

"Dinner is served!" Wash hollered as he charged down the hallway between the galley and the bridge banging on an empty pot with a wooden spoon. "Come and get it!"

Jayne poked his head out of his bunk and charged up the ladder. "Little man, if I waddint so hungry I'd be hitting you over the head with that gorram pot!" He growled shoving the pilot out of the way and hurrying towards the table.

"I don't understand why I have to be the one to take you to the dress shop." Simon was complaining to Kaylee as they took their adjacent seats. "Why not Inara or Zoe?"

"Because Zoe hate shoppin' and 'Nara's goin' with the captain to the aquarium." Kaylee explained.

"What kind of dress do you want?" The doctor sighed, finally relenting to his girl's request.

"Somethin' shiny to meet 'Nara's mama in!" Kaylee smiled at Inara as she sat across from them. "I think we all need to make a good first impression. Her allowin' us into her home an' all."

"Good thinkin Lil Kaylee." Mal lifted his mug of water in a toast towards the young mechanic. "We all need to look our best for Ms. Serra." He gave Jayne a glare.

"That's really not necessary Mal." Inara patted his hand before going back to her meal. "My mother is surprisingly laid back. She actually tried to get me into a few sports when I was a child, but I always said I wanted to be a Companion like she was."

Mal's eyebrows lifted, he always loved hearing about her childhood. "Sports?" He gave her a tongue-in-cheek smile.

"Yes, I participated in some leisurely games in my youth." She pursed her lips at him before continuing. "But polo was too dangerous, swimming in a pool nearly ruined my hair, and lacrosse was too messy." She shrugged as she sipped her water.

"Your ma didn't want you Companioning?" Wash inquired.

"She didn't want me leaving home to train was the main thing." Inara explained. "I had to go to Madrassa when I was only thirteen and I was only able to visit two weeks out of the year. That was difficult for a mother of one."

"I could imagine." Zoe nodded. It was hard for her to even IMAGINE sending her and Wash's future daughter away at such a young age.

"But I learned the world early on, and I got to meet some amazing people." She made eye contact with Mal, assuring him that she wasn't referring to her clients. "And that made it worth it."

"What about your Pa?" Kaylee asked. "Was he okay with jus' sendin' you away?"

Inara's eyes dropped to her lap briefly before she quickly composed herself and smiled at her young friend. "I never got the opportunity to officially meet my father." She replied matter-of-factly. "He was my mother's last client, for obvious reasons, and all I ever received from him were tiny trinkets for my first few birthdays and some credits to assure my future was well taken care of."

"Sounds like someone earned himself a father of the year mug." Wash muttered.

"I'm sorry 'Nara." Kaylee felt bad for bringing up a sore subject.

"There's nothing to apologize for." Inara's smile turned genuine. "I had a wonderful life. My mother gave me enough love to make me feel as though nothing was missing."

"She sounds like a fine lady." Shepherd patted the former Companion's hand.

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet her!" Kaylee beamed.

"Okay, everyone I know you're all excited about meetin' 'Nara's mama, and hearin' loads of embarrassing stories from her childhood—lord knows I am—but right now we need to be focusin' on our tasks tomorrow."

Inara smiled as Mal spoke up. She knew he changed the subject for her benefit. As she watched him divvy out assignments to his crew, she couldn't help but fall in love with him even more than she thought possible.

/

_The sun had set later than usual that evening. Sihnon was strange like that; it didn't have a routine pattern like most planets. Things happened when they happened. While most found it irritating, Inara loved it. _

_She was playing in the field that looked out over the beach below. Before leaving for the day, Madame had encouraged her young student to practice with her new cross bow, but the weapon now laid forgotten in the grass as Inara spun Delphina—her favorite doll—around by her hands. _

_She wanted to be a Companion more than anything in the world. She wanted to be able to help others like her mother did. She wanted to meet tons of new people and see the universe. _

_She did not want to kill. She detested the thought of training to harm another human being. And though her mother hated it just as much, she insisted that it was a compulsory skill to know before entering any training house. It was for her protection._

_Wandering over to a large bolder that sat on the edge of the cliff, Inara climbed on top of it and laid down on her belly to watch the large orange sun sink behind the grey sea. Resting her chin on top of her hands she sighed and watched the seagulls fly overhead, heading towards the horizon—unaware of how lucky they were. _

/

River watched the woman who was once so poised and confident, walk stiffly into the galley. She didn't have to be a Reader to know what the former Companion was feeling. The agony was written in her knitted brows and pale skin.

She didn't let the older woman know she was there. It was very early, and Inara had intended to be alone and unseen as she made herself some of her special tea—an herbal remedy to soothe her inner and outer wounds.

Sitting down, she stared into her steaming mug of Sage Apple Tea and sighed. Taking a liberty she knew that Inara would not permit, River probed her mind just a bit—out of concern.

She was in a great deal of pain, but of course that was to be expected. She was feeling guilty for turning Mal into a worrying Muquin Muji (which was ridiculous to the young reader because hens did not act nearly as frantic over their young as their dear captain did when it came to Inara).

The girl's heart felt that rare feeling of sadness as she watched her Jieh-Jieh cry into her untouched tea. "Please don't cry Mei You." River whispered, letting a small tear fall from her own eye.

**/**

**Yes, another adventure'less chapter. I just want to have a bit more before things turn exciting for our heroes again! It will pick up I promise! **

**If there is anything you all would like to see, please let me know! I only have a shell of the next chapter started, so I can still add to it.**

**Translations**

**Muquin Muji—Mother Hen**

**Jieh-Jieh—Older Sister**

**Mei You—Beautiful Friend**


	10. X

They'd reached Londinium early that morning. Mal, Jayne, and Book had been up for hours arranging the tank-crates and preparing them to be unloaded. Inara came down the stairs into the Cargo Bay just as they began to descent into atmo.

"You're up early darlin'!" Mal smiled when he saw her approaching. He loved to see her at any hour of any day—even on stressful days like this one was turning out to be. "You ready for some explorin'?"

Inara nodded and giggled when he lifted her from the third-to-last step and spun her once before setting her down. "I suppose I am." She gave him a quick kiss before looking over at the beautiful fish. "Shall I feed them before their big debut?"

Mal chuckled, "Nah let Jayne do it." He said pulling her towards one of the crates and lifting her up to sit on it. "I need to talk to ya anyhow." He placed his hands on either side of her and attempted to give her an intimidating stare.

Inara giggled, "Okay Captain Reynolds, let's hear it." She waved her hand as she put on a mask of propriety.

Mal couldn't help but smile at how relaxed she seemed. But he had to be serious—for just a moment. "I want you to stay with me at all times when we're on this rock." He said quietly. "And if you absolutely MUST shop…Zoe I'm sure will be happy to assist you. But I can't send you with Kaylee or River. I need to know that you'll be taken care of if anything happens with your injuries."

"Mal, I won't be doing anything that could possibly upset my injuries." Inara promised him, taking his hand in her own. "Besides, I plan on spending as much time as possible at the aquar—" She was cut off by Zoe's frantic voice coming from the catwalk above them.

"Captain, we have a problem!"

Mal turned to Inara and gripped her knees gently. "Stay here Bao Bei." He ordered gently before running towards the stairs.

Inara turned to look at Jayne and Book in concern. The two men, still wary of the young woman's delicate mental state, plastered on comforting smiles before getting back to work.

/

As soon as he stepped onto the bridge, Mal knew exactly why he was called up there. The city below them was in flames.

"Reavers." Wash stated the obvious. "Port Control said it was a small ship at least, but they knocked out nearly a quarter of the city before they all got taken out by gas bombs."

"Gas bombs?" Mal growled turning to make sure Inara hadn't followed him. "Why the gorram hell didn't they kill them?"

"I didn't ask." The pilot shrugged, "All I know is that the Aquarium is done for and that we can only land to refuel, but then we have to get gone."

Mal sighed and closed his eyes. "Keep this door closed." He called as he headed back down the stairs. "I don't want her seeing that."

/

"Why are they here?" Inara demanded gripping his arms tightly and looking around her shuttle. "I thought that the closer we got to the core, the safer we were."

"That was a theory of mine, yes." Mal sighed as he tried to get her to lie back on the bed. "Now please relax darlin' I can't have you bustin' a stitch."

"We need to move!" Inara whimpered as his hand pushed down on one of her more tender wounds. "Why are we just sitting here?"

"We're getting fuel." Mal soothed, pushing her hair back. "There are guards everywhere, we're fine."

"Bu lang bu you, guards!" Inara spat. "Since when are they worth trusting?"

Mal had to admit she had a point on that one. Any man who worked for the alliance was in fact worthless. "Well, Wash is just finishing up and then we'll be up in the air in no time. Your mama will be happy to see you earlier than planned."

Inara began to calm at that. "We…we can still go?" She whispered, fearing that if her voice got to loud, the Reavers would return.

"Of course! You need to be with kinfolk right now." Mal kissed her forehead. "'Sides, I got a contact not too far from your home-city saying he'd be happy to take in all of them homeless fish. Apparently Sihnon has aquariums too."

"The best ones in the 'Verse." Inara tried to look haughty, but her trembling lip gave her away. "Mal, what if they went there too?"

"Where, Sihnon?" She nodded. "Your mama would've contacted us had that been the case. Nothin's gunna happen." He finally got her to relax against her pillows as he felt the engines start back up.

Inara took a deep breath and smiled softly as Serenity took to the sky again. She didn't know how long it would be until she felt safe on the ground, but it was easier knowing that Serenity would always be flying for her.

/

"Do you have any…unicorns?" River asked, arching her eye brows at her opponents on the other side of the table.

Inara and Kaylee exchanged glances before shaking their heads at the younger girl. "Go fish." Kaylee pointed at the pile between them. The women had snagged one of Jayne's Tall Card decks from his bunk and had been playing everything BESIDES Tall Cards for the last hour.

After about two days of travel, they were coming up close on Sihnon.

"Do either of ya have any…turtles?" Kaylee asked.

"Oh, I do!" River exclaimed plucking one of the cards out of her hand and practically throwing it at her friend.

"Goody! Thank ya River!" Kaylee smiled as she put the pair down on the table and examining her cards again. "What about an Apple?"

"Go fish." The other two said in unison.

Inara giggled as the mechanic let out a whine. "Do you have any peaches?" She asked. When the girls shook their heads, she sighed and reached into the middle. Just as she picked a card out of the stack, the ship suddenly lurched, sending the three women flying across the room.

"What was that?" Kaylee shouted as the lights flickered above them.

"No…no…not now!" River cried crawling under the table.

Inara groaned and held her hand to her side as she tried to sit up. She gasped when she felt a sharp pain around her midsection. She had hit the half-wall separating the dining area and the kitchen with great force and she was positive she cracked another rib or two.

She began no black out as she heard Mal and Simon come charging into the room. "'Nara! No ma'am! You open your eyes right now!" The captain was trying to be strict with her as he knelt down and pulled her halfway into his lap.

"Hurts." She murmured, wincing when he inadvertently pressed his hand against one of the reopened wounds on her back.

"Did somebody hit us?" Kaylee asked as Simon helped her to the couch and examined a small scrape on her forehead from where she hit the corner of the table.

"Afraid so." Mal sighed, patting Inara's cheeks in an attempt to keep her conscious. "Doc, we need to be gettin' her to the infirmary."

/

"GORRAMMIT WASH! If you don't make this ship go any faster I will end you NOW!" Jayne yelled as he watched the ship gaining on them in the radar.

"Excuse me, but you're lucky this thing is still moving after that hit!" The pilot snapped pushing Serenity into full burn. "Tell Kaylee to get to the engine room and see if anything blew up!"

The mercenary growled before storming out of the bridge and going in search of the mechanic.

Zoe watched him storm off before looking down at the radar. "It seems like they're slowing down." She observed. "You don't think they're losing fuel do you?"

"That doesn't seem likely. Reavers might be flesh-eating space monsters, but they're surprisingly resourceful." Wash tried to make light of the situation as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

/

"We can't land with those things behind us." Inara whimpered as Simon stitched up her back. She was lying on her stomach on the main bed in the infirmary with Mal in front of her.

"'Nara, Serenity's losin' steam, and she's losin' it fast." Mal explained holding her hands tightly in his own. "You're mama's coordinates have been set, and it looks like we just might make it. Now if this ship is as small as it looks on the radar, we'll just send Jayne out first with one of his fancy new bazooka guns, and we should be set."

Inara shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "I can't go out there with those things." She cried.

Mal sighed and kissed her forehead. "You're gunna be with me the whole time and you know how cautious I can be." He had meant it as a joke, but it only made her cry harder.

"_Captain, we're coming into atmo." _Wash's voice announced over the intercom as the ship began to rock a bit.

"She's still bleeding." Simon sighed, throwing up his hands as he tried to determine which wound to re-stitch next.

"We'll worry about it later." Mal muttered helping Inara off of the table and offering her one of his clean shirts that he had grabbed from his bunk while Simon was working on her. "'Sides, it's been like two weeks, why would she still be needin' stitches?"

The doctor rolled his eyes as he tried to apply as much ointment as possible to Inara's back before she threw the shirt on. "I would have been able to remove them a few days ago if she hadn't kept tearing them herself." He growled, following the couple out of the infirmary and towards the bridge.

"Engine seems fine Cap'n!" Kaylee announced, coming out of the engine room. "Just a couple o' wires and parts knocked outta sorts, but nothin' that couldn't be fixed. I do think one of the tillers might be a tad loose, but I'd havta take a look from the outside."

"You can do that just as soon as we land and kill the monsters little Kaylee." Mal promised her as he led Inara up the stairs and into the cockpit. "Wash, how's it lookin'?"

"We're coming up on land pretty fast Cap. It looks like our friends are getting there just as quick." Wash reported.

Mal stared at the radar. "Are they plummetin'?" He demanded, eyes narrowing.

"It would appear so sir." Zoe replied.

"'Nara, try to wave your mama and tell her to hide in case them things land before we do!" Mal sat Inara in the co-pilot's seat and pulled up the Cortex. Inara nodded and pressed a few buttons.

A few moments passed before Eve's face appeared on the screen. "Inara angel…" She began her greeting, but Inara cut her off.

"Mother, we're almost there, but you need to get into the cellar now!" She said urgently. "There's a Reaver ship right behind us and they look like they might be beating us there!"

Eve looked taken aback by her daughter's frantic tone. "Inara, darling, I—"

"Listen to your daughter ma'am, this is not a drill." Mal butted in before turning off the Cortex and buckling the safety belt around Inara. "Hold on tight Qing Ren." He ordered before heading to a spare seat in the back of the room.

"Everybody strap in!" Wash shouted into the intercom.

Inara closed her eyes as tight as she could as she felt Serenity fall quickly toward Sihnon. Her stomach bottomed out as Wash steered to avoid the Reaver ship that soared past them.

"Yeup…they're crashing…" Wash confirmed seeing the smoke surround the enemy vessel.

Mal swallowed and turned to look at the back of Inara's head. He didn't need to see her face to know how terrified she was. If it would result in him flying into the windshield upon landing, he would have been out of his seat and holding her in an instant.

Through the windshield, he could see a large brownstone castle-like mansion in the middle of a bright green field. "Let's not hit Mrs. Serra's lovely little cottage now." Mal hollered up at Wash who nodded and steered Serenity towards a bare patch of grass about five hundred yards from the manor.

They could see the Reaver ship in flames not too far from there.

"Brace yourselves." Wash warned right before they skidded to the ground with a thud. The lights flickered for a moment before the only sound in the cockpit was their heavy breathing and the beep of the 'Check Engine' signal.

"Okay, time to move!" Mal's voice snapped them into action. The captain unbuckled himself before hurrying over to Inara. "You ready to see mama Bao Bei?" He asked, kissing her forehead and helping her stand. Inara trembled as he led her out of the bridge and towards the Cargo Bay.

"Am I good to go Cap?" Jayne asked from below them, his hand hovering over the airlock release. Mal nodded and placed himself in front of Inara before she could head down the stairs.

"Shout if you think backup is needed." He ordered. Jayne scoffed before opening the Cargo doors and rushing outside.

By then everyone was on the catwalk in the bay, and they all waited anxiously for the mercenary's return. After about five minutes, his voice came from outside.

"Their ship is nothin' but ashes Cap'n. We're good to move!"

Mal smiled shakily and turned to Inara. "See, I told ya I'd protect ya." He said with a wink before taking her hand and leading her down the stairs.

When they made it outside, they saw that Jayne was not wrong. The ship that had pursuing them was nothing but a pile of mangled metal and rubble.

"That's what happens when you don't got proper containment on your ship." Kaylee whispered as she clutched onto Simon's hand when they walked by. "It'll blow right up when it hits the ground too hard."

"Thanks for the lesson Little Kaylee." Mal teased as they made their way towards Serra Manor. "I hope we didn't scare your Ma too much." He said to Inara who still looked white as a ghost, much to his concern.

"Sh-she'll be fine…" She murmured shaking her head.

They were about halfway to the house when a roar came from behind them. Mal didn't have to turn around to know what it was. Cursing, he pulled out a gun and placed himself between Inara and the beasts that had survived the crash.

There were five of them—all of them with burnt flesh and bones sticking out—and they were moving as quickly as he had ever seen them. "Jayne…shoot 'em!" He ordered.

"I left the bazookas on the ship!"

"What?!"

"They're heavy; I didn't think they was necessary!"

Mal growled and shot at one of the Reavers but it kept moving, unaffected. "Everybody run!" He shouted picking up Inara and sprinting towards the gate surrounding the house property.

He could hear the creatures getting closer and closer as the gate seemed to only get further away.

Just as it seemed that they were about to be overtaken, a loud blast came from overhead followed by an explosion.

Mal dropped to the ground and covered Inara's head with his hands to protect her from any flying debris. His ears rang as another explosion sounded a little closer this time. Slightly disoriented, he lifted his head and turned to see the rest of his crew had followed his lead and hit the dirt—all except for River, who was sitting crossed legged, staring at the now-dead Reavers.

Shocked, Mal sat up as well and looked down at an unconscious Inara. "Hey…hey…" He whispered, rubbing her cheeks. His ministrations were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Excuse me!" He looked up to see Eve Serra sitting behind a very large cannon, wearing a stunning plum gown complete with diamond jewelry and a tiara. "Are you people planning on napping out there all day, or would you like to come in for some tea?"

**Well there you have it. More to come very soon! (I hope)**

**Bao Bei—Sweetheart **

**Bu lang bu you—Good for nothing**


	11. XI A

**Author's Note:**** This is a VERY short chapter! I have a busy week ahead, so I'm splitting Chapter 11 into two parts to ensure that I can give you all a little something in case I don't get to finish it!**

"_No! You cannot just barge in here and demand things!"_

"_I can do whatever I damn well please! That's my child—"_

"_She is NOT yours! She's my child! The only thing she shares with you is blood!"_

_She watched their shadows as they argued in the parlor the night before her ninth birthday. Her head pressed its way between two of the railings on the balcony that wrapped around the foyer of the mansion. It was hours past her bedtime, but the sound of the doorbell and loud voices drew her from her room. _

"_You act as though I left the two of you to die in the cold. I provided for you! I owned up to my mistakes."_

"_She is not a mistake!"_

"_That's not what I meant Evelyn! Do not twist my words."_

"_I twisted nothing. But if you don't leave my property right now, I WILL twist something!"_

"_Is that a threat?"_

"_It's a promise."_

_The two walked out into the foyer, and Inara gasped when she saw her father for the first time. _

_He was a tall man. He was a VERY tall man. He had on a long white coat with gold caps with tassels on the shoulders. His hat looked like the towel her mother wrapped around her hair after a shower, only it was much prettier with a large gem in the front center of it. His skin was very dark, but from where she was, his eyes appeared to be lighter._

"_I just want to give her gift in person this year. Is that too much to ask?"_

"_Yes. It is." Eve crossed her arms and stared the man down until his shoulders slumped, defeated. He was just turning to leave when Inara stood up from her hiding place._

"_Wait!" She called. _

_The two turned to look at the girl in shock. "Inara! Angel, go back to bed!" Eve pleaded trying to block the child's view with her body._

"_This is my father?" She inquired walking down the stairs as poised as she could._

"_Yes, darling. I am." The man smiled and let out a relieved breath._

"_This is Sultan Isaff Hajjar." Eve presented the man as though he were just another house guest. Inara smiled and curtsied for the man._

"_Pleased to make your acquaintance Sultan." She gave him a sweet smile and turned to Eve. "Mother, is it not a little late to be receiving house guests? After all, we do have a very busy day tomorrow."_

_The Sultan seemed taken aback by the child's flippant demeanor, but Eve could only smile and nod in agreement. "Of course dear. I do apologize." She took her daughter's hand and began to lead her back upstairs. "Josef, please show the gentleman the door." She called back to her butler._

"_But Inara, I brought you a gift!" Isaff called out desperately. Hoping that she would react like any child would with the promise of a present. _

_But this child had training._

"_Just leave it by the door and I'll open it in the morning. Or better yet," She stopped when they were halfway up and turned to give him another false smile, "Why don't you just save me the trouble and throw it in the fire on your way out. Keep the tradition alive."_

_Without another word or glance, she turned and continued with her mother back up the stairs._

/

"She's twenty-five next week." Eve informed them as she ran a damp cloth over her unconscious daughter's face. "She still looks like my little heathen."

"'Nara a heathen?" Kaylee snickered at the thought.

Eve smiled at the girl. "She might seem like a poised lady of the Universe now, but she was the reason I had to start coloring my hair at such a young age." She leaned down and kissed Inara's forehead. "Come, let's let her sleep." She led the group out of Inara's former bedroom.

Mal stayed behind of course, he was hesitant to let her wake up alone.

Simon had fixed her up once they were safely inside the large mansion. She had lost a lot of blood from her wounds reopening, but not enough to need a transfusion. She was mostly just exhausted, so the doctor gave her a light sedative to ensure that she rested peacefully for at least a few hours.

"Captain, come." Eve's voice ordered firmly. Mal growled and stood up from the bed. He tucked the covers up and around Inara's chin before brushing her hair back. "We're taking tea on the west lanai today. The parlor's furniture is being reupholstered."

"I guess we can make do with that." Mal sniffed and looked back towards the room as they headed down the hallway. "She gunna be okay? What if she wakes up?"

"Nelly is just around the corner if there's a problem." Eve told him. "She's been Inara's nursemaid ever since she came into this world. She knows what to do to take care of her."

"I defer to your judgment ma'am. She is your daughter after all."

Eve gave him a wary look and stopped walking just before they reached the doors to the lanai. "What exactly is your relationship to my daughter Captain Reynolds?" She demanded. "From what I can tell, you have no qualms with mounting her in public."

"Mount…wh...What?" Mal tried not to shout.

"Well you were directly on top of her when I found you, were you not?"

"I was protectin' her from the flyin' debris of your missile launcher!"

"So you're just a business associate, and nothing more?" Eve arched an eyebrow, and Mal was shocked at how much she resembled her daughter when she had the upper hand in an argument.

"Well…I…I'd like to say we're a helluva lot more than that ma'am." He said politely. Eve smiled and patted the man's arm.

"Relax Captain, I won't shoot you." She soothed before turning and walking outside to join the others.

Mal snorted and shook his head as though the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. Once he was sure that she was out of sight, he swallowed hard and let out a sigh of relief.

**Many, MANY questions will be answered within the next three chapters! If there's anything you all are curious about, let me know! I'll cover it if I hadn't already planned to! I don't plan on leaving any loose threads.**

**Part B will be up as soon as I get my school work done!**


	12. XI B

**Author's Note: Okay, here's part B of Chapter 11! I'm sorry again to have had to break it up, but I didn't know I'd finish it as quickly as I did!**

**I OWN NOTHING!**

Immediately after tea, Mal hurried back to Inara's bedside. He didn't like being away from her after everything she'd been through. He was a bit comforted that she was with her cherished—if not a bit meddling—mother, but he was not familiar with this environment, so he wanted to keep her at arm's length as much as possible.

"Hey, Bao Bei." He greeted, picking up her hand and kissing it. "I know you're sleepin' all peaceful an' all, but you're gunna have to get up might soon. Your mama is really makin' me edgy."

"How can she being doing that Captain?" Inara's sleepy voice nearly startled him out of his seat. "She's just a tiny little woman."

Mal chuckled and leaned down to kiss her nose. "I think you know jus' as well as I do that size has nothin' to do with intimidatin'." He murmured, resting his forehead against hers. "How ya feelin'?"

"Pretty scared." Inara tried to laugh and shrug off her anxiety. "But I feel a bit better here. I haven't been home in a long time."

"Your mama misses you too." Mal told her as he helped her sit up. "Wanna come out and say hey? It's about lunch time." Inara nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck so he could lift her out of bed. She wasn't even going to pretend that she felt up to walking. Simon gave her something to help her with the pain, but even with that, she still felt a dull throbbing in her ribs.

"Is everyone behaving themselves?" She asked as he carried her down the hall.

"As much as they can." The Captain sighed, "Jayne's mouth has been less than pretty, but that ma of yours isn't even fazed." Inara laughed.

"She grew up on a farm up North, her brothers and father had a very colorful vocabulary." She informed him. "In fact, my uncle Thaddeus taught me my first curse word when I was only five."

"Oh yeah?" Mal wiggled his eyebrows. "And what word was that young lady?"

"If she WERE a lady, she would not divulge that information." Eve's voice interrupted them. They turned to see the woman waiting for them in the doorway of the lanai. "Now set my daughter down so I can hug her properly!"

Mal laughed and set Inara down on the cushiest chair he could find. Eve immediately wrapped her child in a gentle hug, and kissed the side of her head repeatedly. "My beautiful, beautiful angel!" She pulled back and beamed at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." Inara smiled and grasped her mother's hands in her own. "How are you?"

Eve laughed and sat in the chair Mal scooted over to her. "I'm okay Bao Bei. I was just so worried about you!" She tried not to let the tears that had been building up behind her eyes fall. Quickly, she composed herself and sat up straight. "I had Chauncey run to the market this morning and fetch the ingredients for that pasta dish you love so much. I'm going to make it for you for dinner. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful." Inara laughed at the woman's enthusiasm. "But shouldn't Chauncey make it? I mean, I can't remember you ever preparing a meal, even when I was a child."

"Oh nonsense, I've seen him make it hundreds of times! I'm sure I can handle it!"

/

"It looks like we'll be having dessert first." Eve announced coming out of the kitchen and into the dining hall where the crew sat patiently—except for Jayne. Everyone smiled and nodded, pretending that they didn't see Chauncey fighting a stove fire valiantly as the door swung closed.

"Is this chocolate mousse?" Kaylee exclaimed as a footman scooped a large spoonful onto her plate.

"Yes dearest, it's my little girl's favorite." Eve said, caressing Inara's hair as she walked by her to get to her seat at the head of the table. Inara blushed and glared at Mal who wiggled his eyebrows at her as he munched on his fourth piece of bread.

"So tell me," Eve addressed the crew, "What is my Inara like all the way up there in space?" Everyone looked at Inara who pursed her lips as she stared down at her plate.

"Mother, please." She muttered, pushing her mousse around with her fork.

"What? It's an honest question!" Eve played innocent, holding her beautifully manicured hand to her chest. "I simply want to make sure that you are behaving yourself."

"Oh, she's probably the most well behaved person on the ship!" Zoe assured the woman.

"Yeah, she keeps us in line most of the time." Kaylee piped in. "She's like a big sister to River and me."

"River and I." Jayne corrected cockily. Everyone stared at him, before Eve shook her head slightly.

"What makes you think Inara would be misbehavin'?" Wash asked ignoring the pleading look Inara threw him from across the table.

"Oh, no reason." Eve shrugged, nibbling on her mousse. "She was just a very rambunctious child, even when she left for training. She just bounced from here to there, climbed on anything that could be climbed. She had three nannies at a time, and they were constantly quitting because she was lighting them on fire or shooting them with her crossbow."

"Wow!" Jayne exclaimed. "I like the sounds of little I-Nara!"

"Thank you mother, I think they get it." Inara growled through gritted teeth.

"No, I wanna hear more!" Kaylee exclaimed, giggling at the mortification on her best friend's face. "Tell us more about Lil' 'Nara! Was she always so graceful?"

"Oh heavens no!" Eve laughed, "That was trained into her! My Inara was probably the most clumsy little thing. She was not allowed near the cliffs because we were terrified that she might fall into the sea!"

The group laughed, even Inara who nodded her head in agreement. "I probably would have too." She murmured taking a sip of water. Mal chuckled and took her hand under the table.

"I'll tell you what though," Eve smiled at her daughter and sighed, "She has always been just tragically beautiful." Everyone concurred with her statement, except for Inara who's body went rigid. Mal noticed as she dropped his hand.

"What's wrong?" He whispered.

"I don't feel very well." She replied, standing up and waving him off when he went to help her. "I can walk on my own! I'm just going to lay down in the study."

Eve watched her leave before turning to the Captain. "What did you say to her?" She demanded, wiping her mouth demurely before standing. Mal snarled and followed her as she made her way out of the room.

The crew exchanged awkward stares. "So…do you think she's gunna eat that?" Jayne asked, gesturing Inara's mousse.

/

They found her sitting in her favorite chair by the fire. The study was very dark except for the orange flames that reflected against the shiny copper roof.

Mal noticed that for once, she did not sit with her usual perfect posture. She was leaning back in the overstuffed chair, running her fingers softly over the wound on her face. _'She has always been just tragically beautiful.'_ Eve's words rang in his head as he realized what had upset his girl.

"Hey darlin', the kitchen's startin' to smell less like a campfire, I think Chauncey might be makin' progress on supper." He told her, sitting by the arm of the chair.

"I'll be there in a minute." She said quietly.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Eve queried.

"Mother…I don't think you'd…"

"Is this about your face?"

Inara's eyebrows shot up in surprise before she nodded gently. "I look very different from you clumsy little girl." She snorted a small laugh.

"No you don't." Eve disagreed vehemently. "You're my same beautiful—"

"Mother, please stop trying to protect me!" Inara snapped, looking up at the woman. "I'm a big girl, and I am very well aware that your _little Inara_ did not have a jagged scar on her face!"

The room was quiet for a moment. Mal sighed and kissed Inara's knuckles, knowing that she knew full well where he stood on the matter. Eve stepped around him, and knelt in front of her daughter.

"No, she did not." She whispered. "But she did have freckles, hundreds of them. And those faded for the most part. But when you look very closely, they're still there under all of that silly makeup. And maybe this will fade." She touched the cut gently with the tips of her fingers. "Or maybe not. Who cares? You will make it a part of who you are. Just like you did with your freckles, your curly hair, and your knobby knees."

Inara's jaw dropped, "I do NOT have knobby knees!" She exclaimed, glowering at Mal who was stifling a chuckle.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I must be thinking of my other daughter who was the only one in her ballet class who had to get her tights taken in."

"Well, I got them from you!" Inara stuck out her chin and sat up haughtily, much to Mal's relief. He had to hand it to Eve Serra; she knew how to get through to her stubborn daughter.

"I'm not arguing that sweetie!" Eve pushed herself up onto her feet and held out her hand. "Now, let's go see if Chauncey needs help in the kitchen."

"No, I think he'd rather you didn't help." Inara giggled, holding her mother's hand and walking with her back into the dining hall. She looked back at Mal expectantly. Smiling, Mal hooked his arm through her free one.

"I hope to be seeing them freckles soon." He teased with a wink.

/

Early the next morning, Mal sent Zoe to go meet with the people from Sihnon's aquarium and Wash and Kaylee to repair the ship. He had planned on joining them after a while, but he wanted to spend a bit of time Inara and her mother. Jayne and Simon went with Book into town to collect supplies and rations, while River stayed behind, left to her own devices.

"Malcolm, you cannot simply move a piece willy-nilly. You have to think about it first." Eve sighed rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"But the horse can move in an 'L' formation, yeah?" Mal looked between the woman and the board in confusion. "So I make an 'L', and now I got her lil' bald guy." He snatched up the Pawn and grinned at Inara, who shook an amused head.

"Yes, that is very true dear, but now you have left your Bishop vulnerable to attack." Eve gestured as Inara swiftly took the aforementioned piece out with her Rook.

"Well, he was ugly anyways." Mal mumbled, squinting at the board in confusion. "Where's my lil' clock? Don't I get a lil' clock or somethin'?"

The women laughed and shook their heads as the Captain touched every single one of his remaining pieces and contemplated each move. The patio door to the lanai swung open, and the three turned to see the Serenity's pilot standing like a deer in the headlights.

"Oh, good morning Hoban darling!" Eve greeted. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes ma'am, everything's dandy!" Wash plastered on a fake smile, before gesturing to Mal, "Uh, Captain? May I have a word?"

Mal sighed and nodded before standing up and rounding the table to kiss Inara on the forehead.

"I'll be right back darlin'." He said, waiting for her to nod and smile at him reassuringly, before following Wash out the back door and onto the patio. "What's botherin' ya Wash?" He asked, noting the blonde man's unease.

"We found a beacon…on the Reaver Ship." Wash told him. "Well…in the rubble…when we were fixin' up Serenity."

"Okay, all of their ships are stolen…it's prolly sometin' that was left on there." Mal shrugged it off, but still led Wash down the steps and away from the house just in case—no use worrying Inara if nothing was wrong.

"Yeah, but Reavers have proven to be a lot smarter than they look." The pilot reminded him. "If that was installed by them, this place will be infested before we know it."

"How are we on the fish?" Mal asked looking across the field at the large mule that had arrived not to long before. "They gunna be able to get 'em all?"

"Yeah, it's not gunna be a problem." Wash waved him off, not understanding why he wasn't more concerned about the beacon.

"Once the cargo bay is empty, talk to Ms. Serra and see what she needs to bring with her. We're leavin' as soon as we get fixed up." Mal ordered, before walking back upstairs. Wash let out a breath and nodded.

"Well, I guess that's that." He muttered as he wandered back over to the ship.

/

"Captain Reynolds, I want to know what is going on before I set foot on your little ship!" Eve shouted after Mal as he walked across the law with Inara in his arms.

"I already told ya ma'am, we might've been followed, and I'm not in the mood to be takin' any risks." He called over his shoulder. "Now please, go pack your bags, I want to be gone within the next coupla hours."

"Mal, I don't think it's necessary to leave right away." Inara whimpered as he shifted her in his arms. "Are we really positive that they could follow us here?"

"They could very well have 'Nara, and I ain't gunna stick around here assumin' that we're safe." He told her as they walked up the ramp into Serenity. "Jayne, get a mattress from the house and set it up in Shuttle 1 for 'Nara's mama."

/

"Nelly, I want you and the others to go to the Summer House." Eve told the maid quietly. "Tell Edmund to take the horses too, there are stables there."

"Yes ma'am." Nelly nodded and scurried off.

Eve sighed and resumed packing as many clothes as possible into a large trunk on her bed. Sensing someone watching her, looking up, she smiled when she saw River lounging on a beam in the ceiling. "Hello darling." She waved cautiously at the girl. "How did you get up there?"

"She loved to sit here and watch over you." River ran her hands over the '_I.N.S'_ carved into the wood of the beam. "She loves you very much." Eve smiled and thought back to the times she would catch her daughter swinging from the same beams when she'd wake up some mornings.

"I tried to give her a wonderful life." She confided.

"She didn't leave you behind." River's voice was soothing as she sat up on the beam. "She left to protect you." She hopped down onto the bed, then to the floor before walking out. Eve stared after her, bewildered.

/

**Well, there you have it! Another eventless chapter, which will be followed by A LOT more action! I can assure you! We will learn even more about Inara's past, and where her dad ties in to all of this. And we'll also see why Eve Serra IS such a HBIC!**

**Thanks for reading, and please review**

**Translations:**

**Bao Bei—Treasure, Darling, Baby**


	13. XII

**I am SOOO sorry. So much has happened in the last few months! I meant to update much sooner than this, and I hope to finish the story SOON! **

**But here's a quick **_**filler**_** update—just to last until a little more action happens!**

**Nothing belongs to me(except for the idea)**

**Please enjoy!**

Mal, made sure Inara was sleeping peacefully before slipping out of her shuttle and heading towards the bridge. "We need to get to Paquin by daybreak Wash, is that gunna be possible?" He asked as he climbed the stairs.

"Of course Cap, but I don't see why we're stopping there!" Wash muttered looking at Zoe who looked just as confused as he did. "It's nothing but a carnie planet."

"It's a carnie planet with a very large junkyard." Mal added. "And a coupla ole Abbeys and such."

"Abbeys?" Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Gettin' religious on us Captain?"

Mal chuckled and shook his head. "Not today Zo. Just gettin' a bit more resourceful is all." He gave them a small wave before leaving.

"Uh oh…Something tells me he has a plan…" Wash muttered nervously.

/

Eve sat at the table in the galley with an untouched mug of tea nestled in her hands. She had never been a fan of Space. Ever since her early retirement (due to pregnancy) from the Guild, she was much keener on keeping her feet on the ground.

But as her eyes roamed the ivy painted on the steel walls and the giant orange pillows that covered the couches, she couldn't help but feel at home in Serenity.

Even if she did want to get back to her mansion as soon as possible.

"I thought I heard someone in here." A voice startled her out of her thoughts. She turned to see the man with a dark complexion and white hair—the Shepard?—coming into the dining area.

"Good evening." Eve smiled at the man. "I guess I'm not the only early riser aboard." She gestured the seat in front of her. Book returned her smile and sat down.

"Believe it or not, there aren't a lot of places to have quiet time aboard this ship." He said with false cynicism. "So I have found that the best time to achieve peace is before the others—namely Jayne—awaken."

Eve laughed and nodded, "I must say, this is a very interesting group of people." She observed. "I never would have imagined my girl with such a crew, but I cannot say I am disappointed with her company."

"As you shouldn't be." Book said earnestly. "I've been aboard Serenity for a little over three years, and I have to say that these people are the best family anyone could ask for. Besides their own of course!" He added quickly, remembering who he was speaking to.

"In the case of Inara, that might be so." Eve's calm voice assured him that she took no offense. "But in some situations, it would be nice to find a family to call your own. And I'm glad my daughter is a part of that." She took a sip of her tea as a peaceful silence came over them.

Book casually observed the woman across from him. She looked worried, naturally. But besides that, he could see a hint of something else in her crystal blue eyes—something that looked very much like guilt. "Ms. Serra, I hope you don't think of me as too forward." He waited for her to look up at him before clearing his throat and continuing. "But I have to ask…that canon…"

Eve giggled and sat back in her seat. "Oh dear," She ran a hand across her face. "I know it was terribly unladylike of me to shoot so close to my guests, but those things…"

"No, please don't apologize! That's not what I meant at all, we are all very grateful for your help!" He leaned forward onto his elbows as he pondered how to continue. "I was just curious as to where a woman of your status would have acquired such a powerful weapon, let alone learn how to fire it."

Eve's face darkened slightly, before she quickly ducked her head to stare at her tea. "My dear Shepherd, I mean no disrespect, but the life of a Companion is very secretive. Even if said Companion has been retired for over two and a half decades." She made eye contact with him, willing him not to question her anymore.

"Say no more." Book waved a hand, pretending not to be bothered by her clandestine manner. "I think I'll go try to lift some weights before Mr. Cobb commandeers them. I'll see you at breakfast?"

Eve nodded with a kind smile, which slowly vanished as she watched him go.

/

"_Mother, I have to go or I will miss my transport!" The teenager called as she made sure the last of her many trunks were secured on the cart before the servants wheeled it outside._

"_Listen to my daughter, so eager to leave her mother." Eve sighed, only half serious, as she descended the stairs while putting on her earrings. "One would think that she was treated so terribly here seeing that she is in such a hurry to leave." _

_Inara giggled and looped her arm through her mother's. "You know that's not true mother." She soothed. "I actually shed a couple of tears last night when I realized I would be my last time sleeping there."_

"_Oh how touching." Eve teased as she tucked a few stray curls back into her daughter's otherwise perfect up do. _

"_Go look at my pillow if you don't believe me!" Inara pointed in the direction of her bedroom window as they approached the shuttle that would be taking her to the ship bound for Madrassa. _

"_I believe you my angel. In fact, I'm sure my pillow is just as damp as yours." Eve took both of the girl's hands into her own as she suddenly grew very solemn. "I will miss you my precious little girl." She choked. _

_Inara smiled sadly before embracing her mother tightly. "I'll miss you too mommy."_

/

"'Nara! Tell your mama 'bout the time where you locked Captain's wife in a dumpster!" Kaylee exclaimed with a mouth full of protein. The dinner table had gotten quite crowded with the addition of Eve, but no one seemed to mind having another beautiful Serra in their presence.

"I'm sorry…his wife?" Eve stared at Mal with a raised eyebrow.

"I…well….we…she was nothin'…really…" The Captain stammered not taking his eyes off of his plate.

"Mal was conned into marriage by a foul little creature on some border planet." Inara explained as though it were an everyday occurrence. "As it turned out, all she wanted was his ship."

"I can understand that, this is a lovely vessel Captain Reynolds." Eve replied, setting down her fork and dabbing at her mouth demurely with the corner of her napkin.

Mal watched her, trying to determine whether or not she was being cynical. "Thank you ma'am." He said slowly.

"So you locked this woman in a dumpster Niu?" Eve asked Inara who was beginning to clear dishes from the table—but Simon stopped her and forced her to sit back down. He was not in the mood to stitch her up again.

"Oh, it's a rather long story mother, I'm sure you have better things to do than to listen to it."

Eve chuckled. "Dearest, we're floating through space. I very well can't go horseback riding, and I would surely listen to your long story rather than watch another display of this hairy creature's weight lifting." She gestured Jayne who tried not to look too offended.

"She asked how I was, so I showed her…" He murmured as he bit into another roll.

"Nobody in their right mind would have asked to see that darling." Eve waved him off before turning back to the rest of the crew with a bright smile. "Now, tell me some of your delightful tales in crime!"

**Translations:**

**Niu—Little Girl**


End file.
